Pretty Little Liar
by Returntonormal
Summary: Haley is an aspiring photographer who lives on little money. When she's on the verge of getting evicted from her apartment, she finds a way to find fast cash to keep her life as stable as possible. What will this quick witted liar do to keep her home?
1. Lie 1

_A/N: Hi everyone! I know I have two other stories already in the process, but I just got this new idea that I couldn't refuse. I had to write it out or I'd lose it for good. So I wrote it. I have a couple chapters already written so I'll be posting more often. This is a lighter story. It's supposed to be funny so hopefully you'll think it's funny haha. This has nothing to do with the series "Pretty Little Liars". I just liked the title so I used it without the "s" on Liars haha. So tell me what you think! I can't wait to see what you all think!Love you!_

-Annie.

Taking a little hiatus from "Steadfast" to write this. I lose inspiration fast when I jump from one story to another for chapters. But I'm not stopping it so don't worry readers. :)

* * *

**Chapter 1. "Lie One".**

"Haley, hold the light a little bit higher," the photographer ordered as Haley lifted the light above the model. She had been holding the cheap piece of equipment for an hour straight without any rest. The studio wasn't able to afford a light stand so they had to settle with just the top piece. Her arms were beginning to weaken, but she had to deal with it in order to get a good paycheck. Haley had been working at Kirk's Photography for several months now. It was a small rinky dink studio in her hometown of Tree Hill. She really wanted to work in a fancier studio in the city, but she couldn't afford that with the little money that she had.

"I said higher Haley!" Kirk called out louder, peeking from behind his camera. He wasn't one of the kindest people on Earth. He hired Haley only because of her good looks. He thought it would help promote his studio if he only had beautiful people working for him. Even if Haley was a natural beauty, he treated her like dirt – maybe even worse than dirt. And Haley hated it. Some days she even thought of quitting and working in food service, but it was the only job closest to her dream. She can't become an aspiring photographer if she worked at a clothing store or restaurant.

Haley lifted the light a little bit higher for Kirk and winced at the pain that was developing in her shoulders.

"Kirk, how long am I going to be doing this?" she asked. "Don't you have enough photos for this yet?" she looked down at the model that Kirk had been focusing on for the past hour. It was his niece, Clara. She was here for her senior pictures and she had the same picky personality as Kirk. Haley never thought it would take hours for a picture to be taken at the same location.

"What did you just ask me?" he replied, pausing from the camera. Haley noticed the immediate warning in his tone and knew what was coming. "I'm here working on creating perfect photos for my niece, Clara, and you're rushing me?"

"I'm not rushing you, Kirk. My arms are just hurting, that's all," she replied.

"No pain, no gain," the blonde brat stated. Haley glared down at her and thought about dropping the light on top of her head, but resisted.

"That is right, Clara. No pain, no gain," he said. "If you can't deal with the pain and struggles of becoming a professional photographer, Haley, then you won't be receiving your paycheck. And I know you really need the money for your rent and bills."

Haley sighed at the truth in his words. She was behind on her payments and bills. She was even behind on paying her student loans. And her job at the studio wasn't really helping her out at all. Kirk barely paid her minimum wage. She was also late on her electricity and water bill. She couldn't even afford to buy herself dinner because of how small her paychecks have been. But money is money, and it at least helped pay for some of it.

"I really do need it," she mumbled.

"Then hold that light a little bit longer," Kirk ordered, returning back behind the camera.

Clara continued posing in awkward positions on a rotted chair. Haley rolled her eyes at the sight of the teenager moving around like she was on a Maxim photo shoot. It was an awful sight to see that girl these days wanted to grow up so fast. What's wrong with being young and innocent?

After taking about fifty more random shots, Haley felt her arms cramping. She winced at the pain in her shoulders and triceps. She could feel her muscles straining when she tried to keep the light up.

"Haley, hold it tighter," Kirk ordered, flash after flash.

"I'm trying, but my arms are giving out," she stated through her teeth.

"Then don't let them give out."

"Kirk, it's really hard to do that . . . when . . . I've been trying to hold my strength for an hour and a half," she replied, as her arms suddenly started to quiver.

"I can't deal with the light moving up and down like that," he complained.

"I can't hold . . . it . . . any . . . longer." Soon enough the light slipped from her hands and it crashed down on the tiled floor. Glass and plastic shattered all over the ground creating a glittery effect beside their feet.

"Haley!" Kirk cried out.

"I'm so sorry!" she apologized, kneeling down to pick up the mess. "I told you I couldn't hold it any longer."

"You told me so?"

Haley gathered a couple of pieces in her hand and looked up when she heard the tone in his voice.

"I told you to keep holding up the light, but instead, you dropped it."

"It was an accident, Kirk. My arms gave out, but I'll take the blame for that."

"That's coming from your pay check."

"What!" Haley gasped, dropping the pieces from her hands back on the floor. "You can't do that. I have to pay my rent tomorrow. This light cost like half of my paycheck."

"Then that's too bad," he pouted without a tinge of sympathy.

"Too bad!" Haley cried out. "Do you have any idea how hard it is keep working in this crappy studio and paying my bills with your paychecks?"

Kirk folded his arms across his chest and rolled his eyes at Haley's little rant. "This is not a crappy studio."

"You are working with a human light stand because you couldn't afford the real one! You're back drop is your table cloth! You don't pay me enough especially when I let you treat me like shit and go on errands for you! And you're not even a good photographer!"

"That's it! You're not getting a paycheck at all!" Kirk cried out.

When he said those words, she thought about taking back everything that she had said, but she respected herself way too much to do that.

"FINE! I don't care about my stupid paycheck anyways because I'm quitting."

"Wait a second. What about the rest of my senior pictures?

We're not done," Clara stated. Worry was written all over her face when she realized that her precious photos weren't going to be picture perfect anymore.

"Then that sucks for you," Haley stated. "I'm heading out. I've had enough of this place." She carefully stepped over the broken pieces of glass, grabbed her purse and headed towards the exit.

"You have to pay for the light!" Kirk called out without looking at her.

"You can use my paycheck since I no longer need it," she answered. She kicked the door open and said her last goodbye. As soon as she stepped out of that studio, the sun quickly hit her face and a gust of wind blew past her.

She started walking down to her car when unpleasant thoughts started to develop in her mind. As she pulled out her keys from her purse, her wallet caught her eye. And immediately, she realized that she had just quit her job and there was no way of paying her rent or bills by tomorrow.

"Way to go, Haley," she thought. "You just quit your crappy job and you can't find fast cash in a day. You're a broke woman. BROKE AND JOBLESS!"

She climbed into her car and started her engine. Before she headed out, she looked through her purse and pulled out her wallet. Inside she had about sixty dollars and change. That was good enough for a small trip to the store and gas. She groaned and shoved her wallet back in her purse. She closed her eyes and tried to take in calming breaths to keep herself from stressing or worrying about tomorrow.

"UGH!" She slammed her hand against the wheel and jetted out of the Kirk's Photography parking lot.

* * *

_Latest Gossip! It's been rumored that model/actress, Rachel Gatina, is dating a mega millionaire. He's supposedly an heir of a luxury hotel/resort chain along the west coast. Who could this mystery man be? Could he be a perfect match for one of America's hottest starlets? We'll have to find out soon._

"Have you seen this, sir?" his assistant asked, handing him one of the gossip magazines.

Nathan stopped scanning the documents on his desk and grabbed the magazine. He read it line by line and closed it before looking back up at Emily.

"Is this new?" he asked.

"Yes, sir. It's today's issue," she answered.

"I see," he began, glancing back at the magazine.

"I don't think your father would be happy about you becoming a celebrity scandal, Nathan," Emily stated.

"This is not going to turn into a scandal as long as nothing is revealed," he explained, picking up the magazine and handing it back to her. "We have nothing to worry about."

Nathan Scott was the heir of The Regalien chain of hotels/resorts in the west coast. He became a respected and hardworking director of the business two years ago when he turned twenty five. Since his father moved up from director to president after their grandfather's death, Nathan had been working twice as hard to keep the company stable. His office was stationed in Charlotte because it was closer to home. While Nathan was working extremely hard, his father was traveling around the world in hopes to create a new resort in Asia or Europe. It was his grandfather's upcoming project before he died of a heart attack. It took a toll on the family, but they've been coping with it.

Nathan was a very handsome, young man. He was acquainted with all kinds of people because of his career. Women wanted him while men envied him. But Rachel Gatina was the only girl who caught his eye a couple of years ago when she came in to visit the hotel. She had a photoshoot downtown and Nathan took care of all the cameras and paparazzi that surrounded her. No one was allowed to enter the hotel and resort if they didn't book a room. Even if they did book a room, he made sure security took care of any suspicious person that appeared on The Regalien grounds. She was just starting out as a model so it wasn't that hard to keep all the cameras away. They became instant friends and maybe more. But in truth, it was only a one-sided crush. Nathan admired Rachel because of her elegance and poise, and her classy personality. Rachel, on the other hand, only saw him as a close friend rather than a lover. But she found something special in him that made her want to keep him really close. Now that she's Hollywood's newest starlet, she kept their friendship under the radar.

"Let's hope this article doesn't become a problem," Emily stated.

"It won't," Nathan answered, without looking up. He continued making notes on all the documents on his desk and stopped to glance at his watch. "Is my four o' clock meeting still on the schedule?"

"Yes, sir, and then after that you have dinner with your mother," she replied.

"Okay, thank you Emily," he answered. "Before you leave, can you bring me the documents for next week?"

"Yes, sir," she nodded and walked out of his office for a few minutes and returned with the papers in hand.

When his assistant left again, Nathan placed his documents to the side and looked at his agenda book. He scanned the dates for next week and looked at the one that was circled multiple times. _Rachel's Birthday!_ It was coming up soon and he already knew what he was going to get her.

* * *

Haley spent the rest of the day sitting in her car in front of her apartment while looking at her phone. She had her father's number dialed and ready to use, but she hesitated. She wasn't going to call him after so many years of silence especially when she was in trouble. Her father had enough money to support her, but calling him would only mean that she couldn't support herself.

"This is stupid, Haley," she whispered to herself. "What am I going to do?" She groaned and glanced up at her apartment and the office building where her landlord sat.

_What if I tell him that I'm dying of a deadly illness and can't pay my rent for now? He could postpone my deadline until I'm ready to pay. I could find a decent paying job and pay the rest of my payment and I'll be a happy camper! But how can I make that believable? I'm not really sick and he'd probably need proof. Yet, Mr. Chancelor isn't that smart, so he probably won't even ask for a hospital bill. Goodness. This is so frustrating. _

"HEY!" She jumped in her seat when she heard the sound of someone knocking on her car window. She turned to her window and found her best friend, Brooke standing outside of her car. She was holding a plastic bag with containers inside. Haley rolled down the window so that Brooke's face became clear.

"What were you doing just sitting in your car?" she asked. "You looked like you're about to shoot laser beams with those eyes," she stated.

"I was just thinking about stuff," she answered, sighing.

"Are you dying? Let me feel your head." Brooke leaned in to touch Haley's forehead with the back of her hand. "You're not even hot."

Haley pushed her hand away from her and said, "I'm not dying, Brooke. I am broke." Brooke pulled her hand back to her side and looked at Haley curiously.

"Well then ask that jerk, Kirk, for a raise. I'm sure he'll give it to you," she suggested.

"I can't because I just quit my job earlier this morning."

"You what!" Brooke cried out, her eyes wide. "You quit your job this morning? Why didn't you call me?"

"I don't know," Haley replied, leaning forward and resting her face against the steering wheel. "I was too caught up with my thoughts that i forgot. I've been trying to find a way to get quick cash before tomorrow," she mumbled.

"Why by tomorrow?"

"That's when my rent is due," Haley answered. "And if I don't get enough money to pay for my rent, I will be homeless. I don't even have a job to support myself. My father is going to kill me or say 'I told you so' if he finds out about this."

"Oh, I'm sorry, Haley," Brooke stated. She opened the door for her and grabbed her hand. "Come on, I brought you food from my mother's house. Let's go inside your apartment and we can talk about this."

"No, I can't go inside that place. It doesn't belong to me anymore," Haley pouted as Brooke forced her out the car.

"Get your ass out of the car and eat something," Brooke ordered, finally pulling Haley out. She grabbed her purse on the passenger's seat and turned off the car.

"Brooke, I don't have an appetite," Haley moaned as they both started walking up the stairs to her apartment. As soon as Haley thought about food, her eyes widened. "I don't even have money to buy my own food. I'm going to be a homeless anorexic!"

"Oh stop it!. You still have friends to feed you and you still have a roof above your head," Brooke stated as they finally found their way in front of her apartment. Haley grabbed her keys out of her purse and opened the door.

"This roof will no longer be above my head by tomorrow," Haley stated as they both walked inside. Brooke shook her head and placed the plastic bag of food on the counter.

She started pulling out the containers and grabbed a few utensils from the drawers. While Brooke was preparing their little meal, Haley laid herself across her comfy couch and started thinking about all the good times that happened in that very living room.

"Do you remember when I gave you a baby shower in this room?" Haley asked as she started scanning the room and picturing all the guests and gifts that occupied the place.

"Yes, I remember," Brooke answered as she grabbed two bottles from the fridge. "It was the best baby shower I've ever had."

"It was the only baby shower you ever had," Haley mumbled.

"Hopefully it won't be the last," Brooke smiled as she handed Haley a water bottle and brought the food to the coffee table. "My mom made us fettuccini alfredo. It's the best, so eat up."

"I told you, I don't have an appetite," Haley stated as she looked at the food that was laid before her. Her mouth started to water at the sight.

"Stop lying. I know you can't refuse food. You eat for a family of ten," Brooke stated as she poked her fork into her pasta.

Brooke was right. Haley was always hungry and when she's hungry, she ate like a monster. It made Brooke jealous that Haley could eat so much and not gain an ounce of weight on her tiny little frame. Food was a weakness for Haley. The mention of food brightened up her day in a snap.

"Fine," Haley mumbled, sitting up from the couch and grabbing the fork.

"So, what kind of ideas were you thinking about in your car?" Brooke asked as she put a fork full of pasta into her mouth.

Haley did the same thing and started slurping the noodles in her mouth. Her best friend could tell that the pasta had lifted Haley's spirits a little bit.

"I was thinking about telling Chancelor that I had a deadly illness."

"A deadly illness? And how will that work?" Brooke asked, unimpressed as she watched her friend attack her pasta.

"Well I didn't say it was a good idea, but if I do tell him then maybe he will give me some sympathy and postpone my deadline. So then I'll have time to find enough money to pay my rent."

"Yeah, I don't think that's going to work." Brooke looked down at Haley's plate and noticed how it was almost finished. "Maybe you could find a food eating contest you could enter and win cash," she joked.

"Ha ha," Haley replied. "If the prize was a thousand bucks then maybe so, but there are no fairs going on right now."

"You could always move out and stay with me for a while. I could help you until you find a decent job and living space," Brooke suggested. Haley swallowed the last of the pasta and shook her head at Brooke's offer.

"No, I can't do that. You have a little girl to take care of. And I know that Lucas is a hassle to deal with too. If I stay in your house, I'll only be another burden you have to deal with. But thanks for the offer," Haley smiled.

"Are you sure? I mean you are my best friend and you're dealing with something serious here, Hales. Just stay with me for a while until you find money," Brooke stated.

"I'm so thankful for a friend like you, Brooke," Haley started as she wrapped an arm around her shoulders. "But this is my fault and it's my responsibility to take care of it. I'm twenty six years old and I need to learn how to fix my problems on my own. I moved out of my father's house because that's what I wanted to do and now my wish came true."

"That's it!" Brooke cried out. "Call your father and ask him to lend you enough money to pay rent."

"NO!"

"And why not? Your dad has a fortune and I'm pretty sure he'd be considerate enough to help his own daughter. I'm sick of seeing you struggle with money. "

"No, Brooke. I am not going to ask him for money. I walked out on him because I wanted to live a better life and live on my own. If he finds out that I failed, then he will never look at me the same way. I'd be just a joke to him."

"No you won't," Brooke stated. "It's been five years since you've seen your father. Why can't you move on from your quarrel and reconcile with him. You need his help."

"That's a no, I'm not asking for any money from him. I'm going to find a way to get money on my own. Even if it gets dirty, I'll be able to say that I gained it myself."

Brooke started shaking her head at her best friend's attitude. For as long as Brooke knew Haley, she was always the independent type. She always stood up for herself and refused to take the easy road out. Even if it hurt Brooke to see Haley cross a few difficult paths, she knew that her best friend could take care of herself. But she didn't want Haley to live that way. She deserved better, but it made sense that she wanted to prove something to her father. Her father was never the answer to her problems, but Brooke really thought Haley should ask him for help this time. She's been through rent and bill problems before, but she got through them by working different jobs. Then Kirk created his studio in town and Haley immediately grabbed a job from there. Brooke hated the fact that her best friend worked there for so long for so little. And it limited Haley's way of life.

"You're making this really hard for yourself, Haley."

"It's life, you have to deal with your own karma," Haley replied, taking a sip from her water bottle. "But you know that even if I pout and moan at times like these, I always find a way to resolve them."

"Please, oh please, don't think of being a prostitute to help you with your issues."

"UH NO! I'm not that kind of girl, but if it has to happen, I just might do it."

"Oh don't you dare," Brooke ordered. "If I see you rocking some red stilettos, net leggings, and a leather skirt, I'm going to kill you!"

Haley busted out into laughter and patted her best friend's back. "Don't worry. I will not stoop that low to get fast cash. I'm a good liar, so I'll figure out away."

"I'm crossing my fingers," Brooke stated.

* * *

"Thank you for your suggestions, team. We'll start making negotiations by next week," Nathan stated as he gathered all the papers into his Manila folder. "That would be it for today. I hope everyone has a nice evening."

He had been sitting in that room with people double his age for an hour and a half. It was hard to believe that someone his age was taking over the director position of the business. It was his duty for the family to work for the hotel/resort that started their fortune. He had no other goals but to be a head leader in the family business. While guys his age were still climbing up the ladder to become celebrity athletes or musicians and applying for jobs, he's already making a fortune by managing multiple hotels and resorts.

As soon as everyone left the room, his phone started to ring. He pulled it out of his pocket and noticed that it was his mother calling. He glanced at his watch and realized that he was thirty minutes late for their dinner down in the hotel restaurant.

"Mother," he answered. "I'm sorry. The meeting lasted a little bit longer than I thought. I hope you didn't wait too long."

"No sweetie, it's fine. I just arrived actually," she answered.

"Okay, I'll be there really soon. I just have to put up my documents and I'll be there ASAP."

"Hurry, I have something special to tell you."

"I'm on it." He hung up and gathered his belongings and rushed back into his office. As he was putting his files back into their proper place on his desk, he opened his drawer and made sure his present for Rachel was still inside. He smiled at the sight of the box and closed the drawer.

* * *

Brooke drove back home and left Haley alone in her apartment thinking of ideas to escape her little ordeal. She spent an hour searching through her house for spare change and missing dollars. She found about five bucks of quarters under her couch and a twenty dollar bill that she left in her jeans. It was soaked and faded though, but it was still useable. She even emptied out all her purses. It was full of spare dimes and nickels. Not nearly enough to pay a piece of the bathroom.

She laid out all the money on her bed and counted them carefully. Haley even had a notebook and calculator to see how much money she needed to fill her needs.

"I have eighty nine dollars and fifty four cents," she mumbled. She started typing in the amount of money she owed the landlord and subtracted the money she had from it. "All I need is $660.46 for rent, a couple thousands for my college loans, and a few more hundreds to pay for my electricity bill and water bill – which I still haven't paid," she stated. "What is the due date on those?" She jumped off her bed and searched for the envelopes on her kitchen counter.

"Got it!" she cried out, as she was opening up the electricity bill the lights turned off and her heart dropped. "It was due this morning," she whispered. "Damn it! Could this day get any worse than it is?"

She threw the paper down on the ground and turned to the living room and found a picture of her parents on the side table. Her father's face only tempted her to call him, but she wasn't going to do that. Her father was a successful and famous photographer who resided in New York City. Everyone would try anything to get him to take their picture because of his certain style. It was unique and creative. But the only way to get a photo shoot with him was if he offered it. If anybody was lucky enough to get an offer from Jimmy James, their reputation would immediately rise. Haley wanted to follow in his footsteps, but their relationship changed over time. Things just weren't working out between them and she walked out. She was tired of being locked up in her house because of his selfish reasons.

She groaned at her unluckiness and returned to her dark room. At least the sun was still up. Having no lights wasn't so bad right now.

_What if I tell Chancelor that my great aunt was dying instead of me? And she really needed me for about a week. That could work. I wouldn't have to pretend that I'm sick and he'll postpone my date? That's a good one, Hales._

Haley quickly gathered the amount of money that she had and stuffed it into an envelope. She grabbed her bag and headed downstairs to the landlord's apartment. As she was rushing to his front door, she tripped a little bit on her shoes, and fell on her knees.

"Just my luck," she whispered. She observed her leg and noticed that she scraped the skin off her knee. "Gross," she mumbled. She patted the little blood on her knee and pulled out a tissue from her purse. She dabbed it a few more times and continued walking to Chancelor's apartment.

Once she was there, she breathed in and out calmly before knocking on his door. She hoped that this idea was going to work. If it didn't, she was going to find another way.

She knocked three times and waited for a while before the door swung open revealing a short, middle-aged man with spectacles. He was wearing a palm tree printed shirt and a pair of khaki shorts. _Nice shorts_, she thought and tried to put on a smile.

"Miss James?" he questioned. "Can I help you with something?"

Haley realized that she needed to be in acting mode in order for this idea to work. So she scrunched up her nose and started to sniffle.

"I'm sorry to bother you Mr. Chancelor," she sniffed. "I wanted to come here earlier so that I could pay my bill for tomorrow, but something came up. And I don't know what to do."

He looked at her curiously and didn't respond.

"I had all the money ready to pay for my payment tomorrow," she lied and started to build up a few fake tears. "But I've recently found out that my great aunt is dying from a deadly illness."

"I'm so sorry to hear that, Haley," he said softly.

She nodded and let out a small wine. "It's okay," she lied, hoping to gain some of his sympathy. "She didn't have enough money to pay for the chemotherapy so I gave her all the money I had." She took about a minute to sob and wiped her nose. "She's too young to die. I never thought I'd see her fade away so quickly." Then she showed the landlord the envelope of money. "This is all that I have left. I risked my own rent money to help her survive a little longer."

He grabbed the envelope and opened it. Mr. Chancelor didn't even look affected by her sympathy story. _This was going to be harder than I thought!_ She continued to watch him as he took out the money. He didn't look pleased at all.

"This is all you have? You have more to pay."

Haley paused for a second and soaked in his reaction. "Uh I know, but my great aunt really needed the money. I can't lose her now!" she cried. She had a feeling that this idea wasn't going to reel him in all the way, so Haley leaned over to him and buried her head against his chest and started to sob.

"I can't lose her now, Mr. Chancelor! She has so much more to live for. She wanted to see me get married and have babies. I didn't know what else to do to keep her alive. I had to give her all my money," she cried, embracing Mr. Chancelor as if she was holding on for dear life. Even if it was really awkward to be hugging her landlord in a very intimate level, it was part of her plan. "I promise I will pay for rent as soon as I can. I just need time to get it!" She continued to cry when she felt his arms slowly wrap around her. Secretly she wanted to push him away, but as long as this works she would let him hug her.

"I'm so sorry to hear about this, Miss James," he stated, finally showing her some compassion. "I know this must be very hard for you."

"Oh it is! I don't want her to leave me!"

"I guess your rent can wait," he finally stated.

She immediately felt relieved at the sound of his words. "You would really do that for me?" she asked, slowly lifting her head up from his chest.

He nodded at her as Haley tried to hold in her smile. "No," he said bluntly.

"Huh? What?" her eyes widened.

He peeled her arms around from his plump waist and pushed her away. Haley wasn't complaining, he smelled like jerky anyways.

"How many times do you have to create a tragic story before the day of your rent, Haley? Last month you said your cousin, William, got into a car accident and needed money for his brain surgery."

"Um," she stuttered. "If you wanted to know how he was doing, William is doing great!" Haley replied, realizing that Chancelor caught her in the middle of the act. He just looked at her like she was stupid.

"Miss James, I'm not going to hold your payment date again."

"You never have!" stomping her foot. "I actually paid for my rent in time last month. I panicked out of nothing."

"Then why can't you do the same thing for this month's rent."

She thought about her unemployment. "Because I just need more time! If you give me a month or two, I'll be able to pay you. It's just not a good time for me right now."

Chancelor glanced at her expression and realized that it looked real this time. She wasn't crying on purpose or moping to get him to feel sorry for her. He noticed that something was really wrong even if it wasn't over a deathly ill great aunt.

"It's never a good time for anybody, Haley."

"Please, Mr. Chancelor. I've never not paid for my rent on time even if I did make up ridiculous, unreasonable stories that I don't even remember saying. I just need more time because Kirk has been dogging on me lately that I haven't even paid for my electric bills. My strawberry cheese cake ice cream is melting right now," she groaned at the thought.

Nodding, he said, "You did pay for your rent last month and the month before that. " She looked at him carefully, curious as to what he was negotiating in his head.

"Yes, I did. And if you give me-," he halted her with his hand. Startled, she waited for his response.

"If I give you a month or two, will you give me every cent that is due?" he asked.

Haley started to smile and nodded her head excitedly. "Every single cent! This will be the only time I will ever ask you to postpone my rent. I promise Mr. Chancelor. I won't even try to make up an outlandish story about a relative."

"Okay then," he stated.

"Really?" she questioned, jerking head forward in curiosity. He started digging through his nose like he was searching for gold and nodded his head. Disgusted, she smiled.

"But it will be triple," pulling out the boogar that he grabbed and flicked it off his finger.

"What! Triple? Why triple?" she asked.

"You know you're not the only one struggling here. I still have to pay for the bills for this whole complex. Do you think it's easy being a landlord? It's not," he stated. Haley lifted an eyebrow when she started to notice how watery his eyes were getting. His chin began to quiver and then he wiped his eyes under his spectacles and glanced at her. "But since you're obviously going through something, I will give you a month or two to give me my cash. I'm tripling it because that would be three months rent already. So by then, you should hand me the money or I will throw all your belongings out of your home and evict you."

Her blood began to bubble through her veins. "Triple my rent? That's almost $2,000 dollars. I don't have that kind of money. How will I make that in two months?"

"You have a job right?

Haley cringed at the thought of Kirk's annoying face and gathered enough strength to keep her mouth shut. She wasn't going to tell him about her unemployment. He wasn't worthy enough to know that especially after tripling her rent.

"Yeah, I still work there," she lied.

"Then I'm sure you can get enough money to pay for your apartment," he stated, wiping the last of his tears.

"But-"

"Two months, Miss James," he cut in as he slowly closed the door. "I have a Full House marathon to watch so leave me be," he stated, shutting the door in her face.

_This isn't happening. I don't know how I'm going to get that much money when I don't even have a freaking job. Two months! It sounds like a long time, but that isn't enough time to find a well paid and work. How could he do that to me? He could at least give me a little bit more time and sympathy! Stupid! Stupid! I can't lose my precious little home. _

She slowly walked back up to her apartment, and realized that the sun was setting now. And that meant that there was no light for the night. She no longer had any money in her pockets because she gave Chancelor the last of her cash. She was officially broke. At least she still had a roof over her head. The only thing that sucked was that she couldn't see during the night.

Before she reached the door to her apartment, she looked down and spotted her car. It had light, gas, and air conditioning. The sight of it made her happy, so she decided to drive around for a while.

* * *

"What was the special news you needed to tell me?" Nathan asked, as the waiter gave them their food.

His mother Deb was the typical uptown wife. She wore Gucci, Dior, Chanel, Dolce& Gabbana. Her face wasn't caked enough with foundation and powder. He neck didn't smell like cheap perfume from Wal-Mart and her wrists were adorned with diamonds and gold. But even though she was excessively obsessed with expensive jewelry and famous designers, she had the warmest heart any body has ever had. She wasn't snobby or over-confident like most people thinks she is if they ever walk past her down the sidewalk.

She took a sip of water from her glass and started carving the meat on her plate.

"Well, my sister called me this morning saying that Billy finally proposed to her and is planning on using our hotel for the wedding," she stated.

"It's about time he proposed. How long have they been dating?"

"About five years now," she laughed. "I'm surprised it took him that long to realize your Aunt Cindy was good enough to marry."

"I guess the divorce with Uncle Frank scared her a little bit. But I'm glad she's happy now," he smiled, taking a few bites off his steak.

"So that means, they'll be arriving here soon to plan everything. I was thinking of using the area at the lodge resort by the lake. Wouldn't that be precious?"

"Or we can do an indoor wedding and have it in the ball room here," Nathan suggested.

"That's not a bad idea," Deb stated, impressed by her son's suggestion. "I can imagine it now. The wedding in the ballroom," she said while looking above her and imagining the setting of the wedding in her head. "I guess it's whatever Cindy chooses."

He nodded. "So is Jake coming along too?" he asked.

"I heard that he was already on his way here. He wanted to arrive early so he could spend some time with his favorite cousin," she smiled.

"Yeah right," Nathan stated. "I'm sure he has other plans here rather than spend time with me."

"You two are inseparable when you're together. How could he be planning something else?"

"You don't know him as well as I do, mom," Nathan replied. Deb looked at him curiously and wanted to know more, but she figured it was something that was meant for those two. "You think dad will be here in time for the wedding?"

"I'm not sure how long his trip in Europe is, but hopefully he can make it," she answered. Nathan noticed the sadness in his mother's expression as she poked at her food. He didn't realize how hard it was for his mother to be away from his dad.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She looked up and lifted her eyebrows, "Huh?"

"You're expression," he pointed out.

"Oh," she smiled. "I'm fine. Don't worry about me."

"He'll be home soon, you know. But until then you got me." Nathan placed his hand over his mother's for comfort. She smiled at him before his phone started to ring.

He pulled his hand away and looked at the id on his phone. It was Rachel and he immediately excused himself from the table. "I'll be right back," he stated. He walked out of the restaurant area and took a step inside the lobby and answered the phone.

"What took you so long to answer?"

"I was having dinner with my mom," he replied as the hotel employees greeted him in the lobby.

"Oh I'm sorry," she replied. "You should've just ignored it."

"Nah, I've been waiting for your call anyways."

"Aww, you're a sweetie," she answered. "Calls from Rachel Gatina are a dime a dozen anyways."

"Who do you think you are, some kind of celebrity?"

"Well I am a model slash actress."

"That's very true," he stated. "So why did you call?"

"I was just checking up on my favorite guy. I'm coming into town soon. I have a new movie to shoot down there."

"Yeah I know. I read it in the magazine."

"So you've been stalking me? Well, that's kind of creepy." Nathan let out a chuckle as he watched a few more guests walk into the lobby. "My birthday's coming up this week. Did you get me something special this year?"

Nathan thought about the box in his drawer and smiled. He couldn't wait to give it to her. "Yeah, you're going to love it when you come by. It's already wrapped up in bow."

"No way! Now I'm excited to arrive to Charlotte. It's something to look forward to."

"I see how it is now. You only like it when I give you things. I thought we were friends."

"Of course I'm looking forward to seeing you too. You know I always am," she answered causing Nathan to smile. As they were talking, he heard a male voice at her end of the line asking for a towel. In an instant, he felt his heart drop. He had forgotten that they weren't a couple. It still hurt him to hear all the gossip about her in the magazines and TV shows, especially when she was paired up with some of the male models/celebrities.

"Um, my mom is still waiting, I'll call you later," Nathan stated.

"Is something wrong, Nate?" she asked before he hung up.

"No, I excused myself from the table to answer your call and I don't want her to wait too long."

"Alright, I'll you call later then."

"Bye," Nathan quickly hung up the phone and drew out a long sigh.

* * *

"I'm not going to find anything in this town," Haley mumbled as she drove on the highway with the top down. She loved driving with the top down at night. The wind was colder at this hour and it helped her relax. When her heart was racing or when she was anxious about something, she always took a night drive somewhere quiet -somewhere with no noise, just the streets lights and the stars twinkling down at her. And maybe some soft music playing in the radio.

She glanced down to see how much gas she had left in her tank. And she groaned when she noticed that she had about a quarter left. She was going to drive as far as she could go. If she could find someone willing to give her free gas or ride, that would be great.

She had been driving for hours before she realized that she was already in Charlotte. She had forgotten how beautiful this city was. The last time she went to Charlotte was when she was eleven years old. It was her birthday and her parents wanted to go on a little adventure in the city. She remembered going to the theme park and riding the carousel with her mother while her father photographed them from the side. It was one the happiest moments she's ever had with her family. It was one of the only moments she could remember where both of her parents were smiling. It had been years since she saw her father smile with such sincerity. Ever since her mother died when she was twelve, her father never expressed the same happiness that he used to. He became so cold and bitter since her death. And it was hard to live a decent and happy life for Haley.

She turned left at the green light and tried to find a decent parking spot before she ran out of gas. As she was driving around, she reached this beautiful and tall building with glowing lights inside. She glanced up and saw that it was The Regalien Hotel. People were walking in and out with suitcases and luggage. It seemed as if it was only meant for wealthy people by the way they all dressed up. Women were in decked in jewels and pretty outfits while the men were in fancy suits or preppy clothing. It looked like they came out of a magazine. As she was waiting for the traffic to subside she saw a man walk out of the revolving doors dressed up in a black suit and tie. He looked upset. He had his hands shoved into his pockets with his head looking down at his shiny shoes. Haley even thought the man was very handsome – almost like a model.

"Even wealthy people have bad days too," she thought and drove ahead when the cars in front of her started to move. Haley started driving a little further from the hotel and found a park with a beautiful little lake in the middle. She quickly glanced down at her meter and realized that she was now centimeters away from the empty mark. She groaned to herself and decided to park by the curb and hope for the best.

Once she turned off her car, she pouted at the site of the hotel flaunting itself in front of her. If only she could stay in that fancy hotel for just one night on this horrible day. It would ease her stress and pain from her financial issues, but unfortunately she didn't have cash on her at all. She didn't even carry credit cards because she knew that she wouldn't be able to pay for them with her paychecks. So she decided to sleep in her car for the night. But before she closed her eyes, she decided to take a stroll around the park.

"Yes, Mom. I just arrived," Jake said as he climbed out of his car and started walking down the sidewalks of the city. "I'm actually on my way to the hotel right now," he continued with his cell phone attached to his ear. "Did you tell them I was arriving?" He glanced to his side where the park was and found a girl swinging her purse in circles as she threw rocks into the pond. "Let's hope they have a room reserved for me, if they don't, I blame you, mother." His mother said something on the other line that caused him to laugh as he continued to watch the mysterious girl by the pond. She leaned her head back and looked above her with a smile on her face.

Jake instantly found her intriguing like a lady in a story book. He found her beautiful from a far and her smile glimmered from the water's reflection. She still stood there, looking up in admiration. He was curious as to what she was smiling at and looked up as well with his phone still against his ear. The stars were clear against the blue night sky and the moon was half full. It was such a beautiful sight, no wonder she was greatly fond of its beauty. Then he glanced back at the girl and noticed that her eyes were now closed. Her lips were moving as if she was whispering to herself. And then out of no where a man ran past her with her purse in hand.

"MY PURSE!" she yelled and quickly ran after the thief.

"Mom, I'll call you back," Jake quickly hung up the phone and followed the snatcher as he ran through the park.

Jake was the star athlete on his track team so it was easy to chase after him. Usually he wouldn't even bother helping someone in this type of situation, but since the girl caught his interest and saw what happened, he had to go help her. He kept running and running through the park until he finally chased down the guy. He could hear the girl's screams as she tried to catch him as well.

It was amusing to see the strange girl chasing after the thief. She ran so awkwardly across the park that it made Jake chuckle. As he was running, he noticed her trip a little and ran passed her towards the guy. Next thing he knew, he was jumping forward and grabbing the guy by the neck and putting him in a head lock.

"Give the lady her purse back or I'll call the cops," Jake threatened.

"No way!" the smuggler tried to get out of his grip, but Jake held him tighter causing the guy to gag.

"Give it to her or I'll just get rid of you myself."

"Fine!" the man threw the purse down on the ground and Jake kept his grip around his neck. "Now let me go!"

First Jake started looking around the guy's pockets to make sure he wasn't armed. The thief started to feel uncomfortable and tried to wiggle himself out.

"I'm just making sure you're not going to pull a fast one on me," Jake stated as he loosened his grip and released him.

"Who are you?" the guy asked as he started slowly walking away.

"Just a guy on the street," Jake answered as he leaned forward to grab the purse and the guy ran as fast as he could.

The girl was standing in the corner watching the whole thing happen. She was stunned. The whole thing looked like something from a movie – almost too real to be real at all.

"Thank you," she stated.

Jake looked up and noticed how beautiful the woman was and smiled. "Anything for a pretty lady," he stated.

She began to blush and smiled bashfully. "I don't know what I would've done without my purse in the city. I'm already having a horrible day."

"Good thing I saw what happened," he replied. "I'm Jake by the way." He offered his hand and she shook it happily.

"I'm Haley," she answered. "I'm sorry I don't have anything to repay you with," she stated as she started digging through her purse frantically. "All I have are movie tickets and a pack of gum," pulling them out to show him.

Jake started to laugh at her cuteness and shook his head. "You don't have to give me anything."

"But I feel bad that you had to run after a thief for me."

"It's okay," he laughed. "I did it for the sake of helping someone."

"Okay," she stated.

"I saw you trip back there, are you okay?"

Haley immediately felt embarrassed and looked at her leg – the same one that she fell on earlier this morning. She shook her head as she gently moved it. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"Do you need a ride anywhere? My driver's close by, he can take you where you need to go."

Haley's eyes widened,"Driver?"

"Yeah, right over there in that black car." He pointed across the park by the Regalien hotel. "His name's Roger. He's been driving me around for years."

"Oh!" she replied realizing that it would be humiliating to tell him the truth. "It's okay, I'm staying close by anyways," she stated.

"Where?"

Haley started scratching the back of her neck and glanced back at the beautiful hotel with glowing lights. She couldn't tell him that she was staying at a motel or in her car for that matter. She wanted to impress this man. She figured that he was rich after all. Who else has a driver of their very own? Not a commoner that's for sure.

"I'm staying at the. . . ." she glanced at the hotel again and turned back to Jake. "The Regalien."

"What do you know, I'm staying there too."

Haley's heart suddenly stopped beating for a second. "Oh, you are." No surprise there. "Then maybe we'll see each other again."

"We can walk there together."

"Oh no, I think I'm going to walk around here for a while," shaking her hand at him.

Jake nodded and placed his hands in his pockets. "Ok then."

"MMhmm," she nodded.

"I guess I'll see you later?"

"Sure."

"Have a nice night, Haley."

"You too," she smiled as Jake started walking back towards the hotel.

As soon as Jake disappeared across the park, Haley lightly slapped her forehead in frustration. She held her purse tightly to herself in case any new snatchers were around and began limping back to her car. She continued to watch Jake as he made his way towards the hotel and waited for him to enter before she climbed back inside her driver's seat. Once he was gone, she went inside her car and started to mope.

"This is the worst day ever!" she cried out.

**Tell me what you think so far? Do you want to read more? Reviews are the best!**


	2. Lie 2

**Hi readers! I couldn't wait another day or week to reupdate. Lol. I have up to nine chapters written down and I really wanted to update again! Thank you for the reviews! I hope you enjoy the story so far! And don't worry I will update my other stories! **

**-Annie**

**Chapter 2. "Lie Two"**

Haley couldn't believe all the things that happened yesterday. She couldn't even sleep right because of all the stress. She quit her job. She was late on her rent and bills. She had to find a new job. She drove all the way to Charlotte with a tank that wasn't full enough to make a trip back home. She doesn't even have money in her pockets. She almost had her purse stolen and now she lied about staying at a fancy hotel. What a day!

"_I wake up in the mornin' feelin like P. Diddy . . ."_

She groaned at the sound of her phone and lazily tried to search for it while she kept her eyes shut. She lightly opened her eyes and leaned forward to look for it clearly. And then a sudden pain hit the side of her neck causing her to whimper. She quickly held her hand to her neck and tried to massage the knot. It was pretty obvious who was calling her. The only person who would put a Ke$ha song as their ring tone was Brooke.

Once she finally found her phone, she answered it. Ouch! She whined.

"Hello?"

"Haley, are you home?" She rubbed her eyes and looked outside her window and noticed the bustling streets of Charlotte in full view. Her eyes widened at the sight when she realized that everything that happened last night wasn't a dream at all.

"Uh. . . ."'

"Haley! Did you hear me? I asked if you were home."

"I'm far from home."

"What? Did you talk to Chancelor?"

"No." Oblivious to Brooke's question, she continued to stare outside her window and observed the people and the hotel in front of her. "I mean yes," she answered.

"Then what did he say? Did your lie work?"

"Lie?"

"Yes, Haley. The lie – the one that you were mischievously creating when I was at your apartment."

Haley turned away from the window and noticed a cop approaching from her rear view mirror. She was confused at first and rubbed her eyes to make sure she wasn't seeing things. The guy was still approaching her car from behind.

"Brooke, I'm going to have to call you back later."

"What? Haley! You have to tell me –"

"I got to go, bye!" She quickly closed her phone when the cop finally reached her side of the car. She cleared her throat at the sight of the cop and his aviator sunglasses.

She rolled down her window and asked politely, "What can I do for you officer?"

"Hi Miss. I couldn't help but notice that you don't have an employee parking tag," he answered. "You can't park here unless you have an employee tag."

Haley looked around and saw the sign beside her car that said _Staff Only._ She didn't see that last night.

"Oh, I'm sorry," she apologized turning back to the cop.

"You need to remove your car, ma'm."

Haley nodded and quickly glanced at her gas and realized she couldn't move it anyways and groaned lightly to herself. Then she noticed the car in front of her and saw a familiar face walk out of it. It was the guy that was standing outside of the hotel with a saddened face. He looked handsomer in the sunlight. He was wearing a different colored suit this time and his hair was clean cut. As he was waiting to cross the street, he glanced at her.

She quickly looked away from him and turned to the cop. "I am an employee here actually," she lied.

"Really?" the officer asked with an unconvincing tone. "You need a tag to confirm that," he stated, pointing at her rear view mirror.

"Oh, that. Well, today is my first day on the job. They didn't have time to give me a tag, but I'm sure they will give me one today," she lied again, holding in her breath.

The officer nodded his head and turned to the side and noticed the guy waiting by his car.

"Well there's your boss right now, I'll just call him over to confirm this," the cop smirked. "Mr. Scott!"

Haley's eyes widened. "No, that's not really needed."

"Why not?"

"Because. . . he. . . he –" she stuttered as she noticed Mr. Scott approaching the window of her car.

"What seems to be the problem here, officer?" he asked, peeking through.

Haley tried to keep herself busy by digging through her purse in the passenger's seat.

"This woman here is parked in a staff only parking lot without a tag. She says she works here," the cop stated. Mr. Scott had no clue what the cop was talking about and noticed the back of Haley's head in the car. "Ma'm, could you please stop digging through your purse, please," the cop ordered.

Haley bit her lip and slowly turned to them. Once she saw them, she timidly smiled and glanced up at Mr. Scott who was looking down at her with a serious expression.

"Hi, boss," she stated and immediately closed her eyes then opened one eye.

Nathan's eyebrows lifted in surprised by her greeting and glanced around her car and noticed the meter. Even if she was parked in the wrong spot, he felt sorry for her especially when she was already out of gas. She wouldn't have been able to get out anyways.

"Hi," Nathan greeted.

"Is she an employee here?"

Nathan and Haley looked at each other for a moment. One was begging for help while the other one was pitying the other. "Yeah, she just started."

Haley suddenly felt like she could breathe again when he said that. It was like he was reading her mind.

"So please excuse her, officer. We made a mistake of not giving her a tag, but we will give her one eventually."

"Alright," the office nodded his head at Nathan. "You have a good day. And Miss, make sure you have a tag before you park anywhere."

"I'll be sure to do that," Haley answered. Then he left as well as Nathan. He didn't even give her a second glance when the cop left. He just walked away and crossed the street of busy cars towards the hotel.

Haley couldn't just sit there and let him go without telling him thank you. It was a habit of Haley's to always thank someone for being kind and generous. It almost felt like a sin if she didn't, so she grabbed her purse and hurried her way across the street to catch up to him.

"Wait!" she called out, running in zig zags between cars.

He slowly turned around to look at the girl who was calling out to him before he entered the revolving doors. As she was arriving, she slightly tripped over the curb.

"Ow!" she cried out. Nathan looked at her strangely and waited for her to get up. She was obviously a clumsy girl. Once she finally found herself on her feet, she limped over to him and took in a deep breath.

"I wanted to thank you for doing that for me," she finally said.

Nathan let out a little cough, and put his left hand inside his pocket. "It's not a problem," he stated and turned around to enter the hotel.

Haley stepped forward and called out for him again. He turned around and looked at her curiously. "How did you know I needed help?"

"I noticed that you were out of gas," he answered.

"Oh," she replied, disappointed. She was hoping for a better answer. Something a bit nicer and romantic, but instead he was blunt and serious.

"There's a gas station at the corner over there, you could get some," he explained pointing to his left. Haley followed his finger and thought about her empty pockets.

"Right," she said with her head down. "I'll get to it."

Nathan was about to turn back around and go inside the hotel, but he couldn't help but notice the expression on her face. "Is something wrong?" he asked, realizing that she didn't move an inch.

Haley wasn't sure if what she was thinking was a good idea, but she hadn't been thinking straight lately. So it really didn't matter whether it was good or bad. No one knew who she was in this city, so what was so wrong about lying? This guy was an owner of this hotel which meant he had money. And money was something that Haley really needed at the moment.

"Do you think you can loan me some money for gas?" she asked.

"Don't you have your own money?"

"Someone stole my wallet last night and grabbed it all," she fibbed.

Nathan looked at her suspiciously wondering if this was a lie. "You want me to give you money?"

She nodded. "Only for gas, that's it. I just need a ride back home."

"You think I'm just going to give it to you? I don't even know who you are," he replied.

"I'm Haley," she held out her name for him with a smile. "Now you know me."

"I don't think so," he stated. "I don't give money to people off the street."

"Off the street? I didn't come from the streets, mister. I'm just a girl who needs gas to get back home."

"Right," he replied unconvinced. "You just lied to that cop about being an employee in this hotel and now you're begging me for money. You're definitely not from the streets, at all," he stated sarcastically.

Haley's eyebrows furrowed at the man's snotty attitude. "Well then hire me so that I could make my own money for gas."

"Are you being serious right now?"

"Yes!"

"I'm late for work. Go find someone else to lend you money," he turned around to enter the hotel but she pulled on his sleeve. He grew frustrated and looked over his shoulder at the woman. "Lady, take your filthy hands off me!" he began pushing her grip off his arm. "I don't help people who beg me to help them. I helped you over there out of whim."

Staring at him annoyingly, she said, "It's only for gas. I'm not asking you to pay for my life support"

"Go away," was all he said before looking at her up and down. He observed her outfit and noticed her torn jeans and yellow t-shirt with a smiley face on it. "I wouldn't hire a swindler into my hotel anyways," he said and then turned away to walk into the revolving doors.

"A swindler!" Haley cried out. "You jerk! I am not a swindler! Apologize to me right now!" she shouted as he disappeared from the doors. She groaned and started stomping her feet in aggravation when she noticed that he was gone.

* * *

Nathan rubbed the temples of his head when he entered the elevator. He couldn't believe that that girl actually lied to a police and begged him for money. He didn't like to be associated with people like that especially at a time like this. After talking to Rachel yesterday and listening to a man on the other line, he couldn't help but wonder who that guy was and where he lived so he could punch him in the face numerous times. Nathan knew she was with a guy and it pissed him off that she even had the nerve to call him. It hurt him to know that she could be with any guy she wanted, but no matter what, it wouldn't be him.

As he was waiting in the elevator, his phone began to ring in his pocket. He reached for it and read that Jake was calling.

"Hey man!"

"Hey Jake, I heard that you already came in last night," Nathan replied.

"Yup, I'm actually lounging on my bed right now watching some good ol' women wrestling. What are you up to?"

Nathan laughed. "I'm on my way to my office right now. I have some paper work to do."

"You're always working man. Don't you ever get tired of that?"

"It does get tiring, but it's my job to keep the family business going. I can't go back on my word."

"You need to get out. How old are you now?"

"Twenty seven," he answered.

"Damn, you need to find a lady, you're getting old. We should go out tonight."

"I'll see if I can."

"We're going whether you like it or not. The hotel isn't going anywhere. It'll be fine."

"Like I said, we'll see if I can," he chuckled.

"Fine whatever you say, director. Call me once you're done being a workaholic," Jake stated.

"Alright, bye." Nathan chuckled. He hung up the phone and stepped out of the elevator when the doors opened.

He started walking towards his office and noticed a familiar hat on the rack next to his assistant's desk. Emily looked at him with sympathy and started typing something on the computer.

"Is she really here?" Nathan asked.

"Yes, sir. She just arrived."

"Okay thanks Emily."

Nathan scratched the little spot on his head and opened his office, revealing a familiar old woman sitting in the chair across from his desk. He slowly walked in when the woman turned around with an infectious smile on her face.

"There you are!" she lifted from her seat and waited for him to come near.

Nathan embraced her close to him as she rubbed his back.

"How are you grandma?" he pulled away.

"I'm fine, Nathan. How's work?" she asked as Nathan walked around his desk and sat on his chair.

"The same. I'm just trying to help Dad focus on all the paper work and projects that we're doing overseas."

His grandma sighed deeply and glanced at her wedding ring on her finger. "It's a shame that you've been working this hard at such a young age."

"It's okay, I'm used to it," he answered, as he gathered a few papers.

"Have you been dating anybody lately?"

Nathan paused from the stack of paper as she said that and smirked. "Oh, no. I'm too busy for that."

"You're not getting any younger."

"I realized that," he laughed.

"You need to find yourself a nice, beautiful and intellectual woman by your side. Sometimes busy men need a supporting woman with him or else they'll go crazy."

Nathan put his papers back down and chuckled. It was funny how his grandma and cousin were pushing him into getting into a relationship when he already had someone in mind. But he knew he wouldn't be able to tell them about Rachel because of her job and reputation. He really didn't want anyone else until Rachel wanted him back.

"I think I've got it all handled, grandma. I'll find her someday but I don't think I'll find her now."

She pouted at the sound of his reply and pulled out a card from her purse.

"Well, since you're not searching around yourself. I went out looking from some possible girlfriends," she said as she handed him the little business card with a number and address on it.

"You what!" Nathan cried out. "Grandma, I'm not looking for anybody right now."

"I just want you to try this out for me. Maybe one of these ladies could be your future wife. Just go to this address next week at four o' clock and they'll be waiting."

"Are you serious?"

"Yes, Nathan. Try this once and I'll be happy," she stated, reaching out the grab his hand. "I don't want you to be lonely."

Nathan observed the expression on his grandmother's face. He couldn't let her down on this one little favor. She's been living a lonely life ever since his grandpa died. But those years with him were the best years of her life. So maybe this was just her way to express that love was very important and that it would be a shame to never truly understand it.

"Alright, I'll do it."

"Thank you, Nathan." She smiled and jumped in glee in her seat. "I am glad that you're accepting this favor of mine. You see, I really want you to grow up with someone special in your life even if it was for a little while. Loneliness is not fun."

* * *

"What a jerk! Who does he think he is? Just because he owns a hotel doesn't mean he should treat me like a rat," Haley mumbled to herself as she made a fake employee tag for her car. She was sitting on a bench near Nathan's expensive SUV and began writing little details on a blue cardboard paper. "He's a stupid, stuck up jerk with no personality," she said as she roughly wrote the letters on the scrap on her lap.

Haley had no place to go and no money to spend. So she had to find a decent job somewhere around here. She could've worked at the hotel, but Nathan quickly rejected her without an interview. All she had were her keys, her wallet with her ids, her camera, and her phone and her phone charger. There wasn't much else she could do with that except maybe take photos, sell the camera for money, sell her phone for money or sell her identity to someone desperate enough to give her a million dollars for it.

She finished working on her fake car tag and climbed back inside her car to put it on her rear view mirror. Once she finished adjusting the tag, she decided to give Brooke another call before she started to worry.

"Brookie," she greeted once she heard Brooke pick up the phone.

"Why did you just hang up on me earlier? I was starting to worry about you."

"I'm sorry. Some cop wanted to talk to me and you know that I can't be on the phone at the same time."

"A cop? Are you in trouble, Haley?"

"I kind of am. I went for a drive last night and I ended up going to Charlotte. Now I don't have any gas or money. So I'm basically stuck here."

"You went all the way to Charlotte? Haley! Why did you do that when you're already suffering as it is? Do you want me to get you? I'll drive over there and help you."

"Calm down. I can handle this. I don't want you to waste your gas on me. I'll just find a temporary job here and –"

"No. I'm going to drive there and get you. Where are you going to stay when you don't have any money?"

"I'll find a way."

"You keep saying that, but you're not solving anything. Have you talked to Chancelor?"

"I did. I told him a fake story about my great aunt dying."

"Did it work?"

"Unfortunately, that tard busted me. But he did give me an extension. I have two months to pay my rent now. The only bad thing about it is that he tripled it. So I have to find more money to pay for everything."

"Haley," Brooke wined.

"Brooke, I got this okay. I'm going to find a job here and hopefully find somewhere to stay. Or I'll end up sleeping in my car until I gain enough cash to come back home."

"You're making me get worried. You're stuck in the city without anything to live off of. Please let me help you."

"I already told you Brooke, I got this taken care of …. well I will soon."

"Ugh, you're so frustrating. Why can't you just let me help you for once?"

"Because I want to take care of it on my own."

"Fine," Brooke sighed. "I guess I'll have to deal with it. I just want to advise you to not get into cars with creepy men or stay in their houses. I don't want to see news reports about your missing body found in a dumpster or something."

"Way to be encouraging, Brooke. That's just what I needed to hear," Haley replied, looking around the city and spotting suspicious men.

"I'm just trying to help you. Please be careful, Haley. I'm going to keep calling you, so keep your phone charged."

"I will, bye Brooke."

* * *

"I'm glad you finally decided to go out tonight. I didn't think you'd actually give in," Jake stated as he and Nathan sat at a bar at one of the local clubs.

There were tons of people dancing behind them as they drank their beverages. A few girls were even eyeing them from across the dance floor in the slinky outfits and heavy makeup. Even if they did try to flirt with them, Nathan wouldn't even have the urge to flirt back. But Jake, on the other hand, would be ordering drinks for every one of them.

"Well, I thought it would be fun."

"I'm glad!" Jake stated, patting Nathan on the back. "There're plenty of pretty women out tonight, we should go browse around and hopefully bring one home."

Nathan chuckled as he took a sip from his glass. "I don't think I'll be doing that tonight. I am going to play it safe."

"Are you serious? You only came out for a drink?"

"What if I did?"

"Then that sucks for me because I can't go searching for a girl while you're here drinking alone. It only works if we're both on the prowl."

Nathan smirked and shook his head at his cousins' blunt personality. "I'm sorry if I'm sucking the fun out of your night, but I'm not necessarily available."

"You have a woman?" his eyes widened. "Who is it? Do I know her?"

"Ha, you probably do, but I 'm keeping it a secret for a while."

"No man, you got to tell me. Is she hot?"

"She's beautiful."

"Hold on a second," Jake looked as if he figured it out. "Don't tell me it's her!"

Nathan glanced at his eager cousin and shook his head, taking another sip from his glass. As he did that, his phone rang. It was Rachel, so he immediately jumped out of his seat and started walking to the nearest exit.

"Is that your girl calling?" Jake called out.

Nathan turned to him and smiled without saying a word and exited the club.

* * *

Haley spent the rest of the day searching for a decent job in the city and the only jobs that were hiring were in food service. They weren't even hiring on the spot.. They wanted to wait a week to give her a call back, but Haley refused it. She was depressed when she realized she wasn't going to find a job at all by tomorrow.

As she was walking down the street, she heard music blaring from around the corner. She knew she was near the club scene as she continued to walk down the sidewalk. She saw a few girls in skirts and tanks walking out and a couple of guys smoking outside the door. Some of them looked like the types of guys Brooke told her to stay away from. So Haley quickened her pace and tried to hide herself from the drunken men.

"Hey!" one of them called out.

Haley ignored him and continued to walk.

"Girl! I want to talk to you for a little bit, come on!" The man was coming closer as she tried to hurry away. She didn't want to appear scared so she was careful to stay calm.

"Stop for a second. I have a little something for you," the man stated as he came even closer to her.

From a far Nathan was talking on the phone with Rachel by the entrance and noticed Haley by the street. The man next to her was pointing at her and pulling on her shirt while she tried to walk away. She was obviously uncomfortable at the situation and didn't want to be there.

_What is that girl doing now? He thought._

"Come on, give me a little kiss," the man asked, grabbing a hold of her arm.

"GET OFF ME!" she cried out as she tried to loosen his grip from her.

"You don't have to yell - just on the cheek." The guy leaned in closer to her face, but Haley leaned back and smacked him across the face.

"Go away!" she yelled.

The man held his cheek where she hit him and glared at her. "You slapped me! I can't believe you just slapped me!" He pulled her closer; his arm laced around her waist and grabbed her face. "Kiss it and make it feel better! Kiss it!"

"NO!"

Nathan watched the man grab Haley roughly in his arms and quickly hung up on Rachel. He ran as fast as he could to them and pulled the guys' arms from around her waist. As soon as he was separated from Haley, he pushed the guy away.

"Hey!" the drunken guy yelled. "We were in the middle of something."

"It looked more like you were harassing the woman," Nathan stated.

"I was just having a little fun," the guy stated with a smirk.

"I think you've had a little too much to drink."

"No, she's just no cooperating with me," the man replied, holding his hand against his chest.

"Just leave," Nathan ordered.

"Whatever man. I'll find somewhere I can get some." He turned to Haley and said, "Screw you bitch."

With wide eyes, she hurried over to him and started hitting him with her purse continuously.

"You bastard!" she yelled.

"Hey! Stop it!" Nathan ordered as he pulled her away, but she kept wiggling herself off so she could reach the drunk. "I said stop!"

"Didn't you hear what he just called me?" she asked in frustration as she continued to hit the guy continuously.

"I know, I heard," Nathan answered.

"You're crazy, lady!" the guy said and slowly walked away from them.

Nathan released his grip from around Haley and looked down at her as she tried to fix her shirt.

"Are you stupid?" he said. Haley stopped adjusting her purse around her arm and looked at him confused.

"What?"

"I'm just wondering if you try to get yourself in trouble on purpose."

"No. I'm just prone to it," she replied dryly.

"Why are you even walking around this area without someone beside you? A girl shouldn't be walking around alone."

"Well . . . none of this concerns you, so don't worry about it," Haley stated as she walked past him.

Nathan turned around and watched her walk away. "Don't you have a ride?"

"No, I'm traveling on my feet."

Nathan let out a sigh of frustration. How could a girl be this stubborn to ask for help? She obviously didn't have any money on her. He pitied her so he jogged after her and grabbed her hand.

"Come on, I'll take you wherever you need to go," he stated, dragging her towards the other direction.

"Let go of me," Haley ordered. She pulled her hand away from his grip and started walking the other way.

"Just let me drive you. I don't want you walking around in the streets alone at this time. You'll never know what's going to happen to you," he said following her.

"You should mind your own business, Mr. Scott. I'm just a swindler from the streets, right?" Haley replied, lifting up her eyebrows and smiling at him smugly.

"Look, I'm just trying to be a gentleman here. You're still a girl, so let me bring you somewhere safe."

"I'll find my own ride."

"Don't be stupid," Nathan stated as he grabbed her hand and pulled her the other way.

"I said I don't want to ride with you!" she shouted. "I can find my own way back. So be a gentleman and let me go, you jerk."

Nathan's blood started to boil and he angrily let go of her wrist. "Fine! Go ahead and walk around here alone. Don't get mad at me if you get stolen or raped."

"I won't. I'm old enough to get myself out of trouble."

"Right," he chuckled. "And you were doing such a great job over there while that man harassed you."

"So? If you didn't come along to butt into my business then I would've taken care of it myself."

Nathan's eyes furrowed. "You have such a thick skull! You're parents must've had a blast raising you."

Haley glared at him at the mention of her parents and huffed out a breath. "Just leave!"

"I will," Nathan replied.

"Bye!" Haley stated, watching him walk slowly away. She lightly waved at him as he finally turned his back on her and she continued walking away. "Such a douche bag! Why would I let him give me a ride when he didn't even lend me twenty bucks for gas. Ugh!" she mumbled.

* * *

"Do you think Haley's doing fine in the city?" Lucas asked as Brooke placed a plate of steak and mashed potatoes in front of him.

"I don't know, but she's really making me worried," she answered. She turned to the side and started adjusting her daughter's bib. She scooped some mashed potatoes in a bowl and started feeding her baby daughter some of it.

"I can't believe she actually drove all the way to Charlotte last night. She could've called us or something for help. Why didn't she let us take care of her?" Lucas asked, chewing off a piece of meat.

"You know how Haley is," Brooke replied, wiping her daughter's mouth. "She likes to take care of everything herself. If you ask me, being overly independent is a dangerous quality. Sometimes people need to ask for help these days."

"If only Haley wasn't like that. She wouldn't be living her life like this."

"I know, honey. But what can we do?"

"Call her dad?"

Brooke stopped feeding her daughter and looked at Lucas. "No. Haley already said she didn't want anything to do with him. Besides, I already suggested that and she refused the minute I mentioned her father. She's really dedicated to living an independent life."

"I don't know how she does it, but I'll give her props for trying. Do you think she's struggling right now?"

"Who knows, maybe. I just hope that she could find a decent job over there and come back here in time to pay for her bills. I don't want her to get evicted like this," Brooke said. She gave her daughter one more scoop and let her hold the spoon herself.

"Maybe we can save money to help a little," Lucas suggested.

"She won't let us-"

"We're not going to tell her. Every time we offer help she refuses. So let's just keep this a secret, okay?"

Brooke started to smile and walked over next to him. "You're such a good husband and best friend, you know that?"

"I try," he replied. Brooke grabbed him from both sides of his face and kissed him.

* * *

It was really late by the time Haley reached the street where her car was parked. After walking away from the club, she was scared that someone else might come by to snatch her by the arm or steal her purse. No wonder they said there was strength in numbers.

She walked past a newsstand and grabbed herself a magazine and decided to flip through the pages. As she was looking through it, she came across an article about Rachel Gatina.

_Latest Gossip! It's been rumored that Rachel Gatina has been dating a multi-millionaire hotel owner in North Carolina. Sources have said that they've been together for a year. The only thing is that no one can find a good picture of her and the mysterious man. We want to know who this man is!_

"I would hate to be a celebrity. People always have their eyes on you. No privacy at all," she thought. She put the magazine back down on the rack and spotted her car in front of the Regalian hotel. If only she didn't park right in front of one of the five star hotels in the city.

As she started walking back to her car, she noticed a few men with cameras hiding out behind a vehicle across the hotel.

"I heard that Rachel's staying here for a movie this month. It's possible that this could be the hotel," one man said. "It has to be. There are more five star hotels around here and she chooses to stay in this one."

"Let's hope we're lucky. This is a five thousand dollar picture they're wanting," the other man stated.

"Five thousand dollars?" Haley whispered.

Her eyes widened at the amount of money and she quickly made her way back into her car. As she shut her door, she thought about the five thousand dollar reward for the pictures. She looked to her side at her camera and thought that maybe if she could get a picture of the couple then she could get the reward. But that meant that she would be part of the evil paparazzi. She never thought about using her photography skills to take scandalous photos of celebrities.

Then she thought for a second. "If Rachel Gatina is staying at this particular hotel then that means her mysterious lover is the owner of it," she stopped and her eyes widened. "MR. SCOTT!"

**READ AND REVIEW! :) Tell me what you think! Keep me inspired!**


	3. Lie 3

Here's a long chapter! I hope you all enjoy it! I want to hear what you all think!

**Chapter 3 "Lie 3"**

"I'm going out to lunch. When are you coming?" Jake asked as he walked out of the hotel with his mom on the phone.

"Next week? Well, I guess I'll see you then." He hung up the phone and noticed Haley lying in her car with her eyes closed. He smiled to himself when he saw her rub her nose. He's seen her sleeping there for the past few days and it made me him wonder why. So he jogged across the street and knocked on her window.

Haley moved a little bit and groaned at the pounding sound against the glass. She lazily opened her eyes and found a smiling Jake waving at her from outside. _Oh my gosh!_ She quickly sat up and rolled down her window for him.

"I thought you were staying _in_ the hotel. I didn't think you meant _by_ the hotel," he stated.

Haley sighed. "I'm sorry. This is embarrassing," she stated.

Jake glanced at her outfit and noticed that it was the same yellow smiley face shirt and ripped jeans that she wore two days ago.

"And I see that you haven't changed your clothes either," he stated.

Haley pulled at the hem of her shirt and immediately felt grossed out. This was humiliating for her. She couldn't believe she let herself get this far.

"I'm so disgusting," she groaned.

"It's fine. There are times when I haven't showered in days either," he laughed.

"Oh my gosh, I'm even more embarrassed." She placed her forehead against her steering wheel and started mumbling a few curse words to herself.

Jake couldn't help but be amused by her reaction. He didn't care if she was in the same outfit, he thought she was still cute. There was something about this girl that caught his interest. Maybe it was because she wasn't trying to flaunt herself in front of him like all the other girls.

"Come on, I'll find you some clothes and bring you to the hotel for a shower," he offered.

She lifted her head up and shook it. "I can't let you do that."

"Why not? You need the help anyways."

"But –"

"Come on," he smiled. "Let me do this one favor for you."

Haley sighed and took a quick sniff of herself and gagged at the smell. She really needed a new pair of clothes and a shower. Walking around the city made her sweat buckets, so buying new clothes didn't sound so bad right now.

"Okay," she smiled. She climbed out of her car and followed Jake as he they headed down towards the shopping stores.

Thirty minutes later, Jake and Haley ended up at one of the local boutiques. Jake didn't mind standing by a girl at a store while she shopped. It only meant that he would see more females around. He'd even hold their bags for them. It was just something that Jake would do for a girl to keep her happy. After all, Jake liked women and women liked him. But somehow Haley was different to him.

It didn't take long for her to finally find what she needed. She browsed around for a while and searched for comfortable clothes that she could walk in. She grabbed a regular red tank top and jean shorts.

"Here we go," she stated, handing them to him at the counter.

He looked at it and lifted an eyebrow. "This is all you're going to buy? Girls would usually buy bundles of clothes when they go shopping."

"Well, I'm not like most girls. Besides, I'm not using my own money to buy this."

"Do you have clothes somewhere else?"

Haley shook her head. Jake smirked and grabbed her clothes and shooed her away. "Get three more pairs."

"What! Why?"

"Just in case you need some more. I don't want you parading around in the same clothes."

"I can't-"

"Just go. I have enough money to pay for this."

Haley didn't want to be a mooch, but Jake seemed awfully nice to her. She never liked using other people's money for herself because they worked hard for it. She especially didn't like that Jake was offering her clothes when she was just a stranger to him. But he was nice to her unlike that other audacious man that she met earlier. Haley was in desperate need right now that she willing to use people even if it did make her feel horrible inside.

"I'll pay you back for all this," she stated as she started searching through the racks.

Jake leaned back on the counter as he watched her. "Don't worry about it. Where are you from anyways?"

"Um," she began as she picked up a blouse. "I'm from Tree Hill. It's a small town fours hour away. Not a lot of people know about it unless you actually live there."

"You live four hours away? What brings you here?"

"It's a long story. I just went on a road trip one night and I ended up here with no cash. I'm a smart one, right?"

Jake chuckled. "It maybe stupid, but people need to go on spontaneous road trips now and then."

"Yeah, I guess," Haley sighed. "It's a little depressing though. I'm out shopping with some stranger that I just met because I don't have any clothes to change into."

"It's not depressing." Haley gave him a look. _Is he kidding? _"Well, maybe a little bit."

"Figures," she sighed. "I'm just going to get three more pairs and that's it. I don't want to use more of your money."

"Actually you will," he stated.

"Huh?"

"Have you eaten lately?"

She groaned at the thought of food. She loved food and it was really sad for her because she didn't have money to buy anything with. She ended up eating samples or snatched food like a hoodlum. It was quite embarrassing to realize that she had to go that far to keep herself alive in this city. It wasn't her fault that no one would hire her.

"Not really," she answered.

"Then you can come eat lunch with me," he stated. Haley lit up when he suggested food and it gave Jake a sense of happiness from her expression. "What do you say?"

"Sure! But can I take a shower first?"

Jake chuckled and nodded his head. "Of course."

* * *

Nathan was never late to work, but today was a bit different. He was working really hard the night before and didn't catch enough sleep. All the new negotiations and ideas for the upcoming resorts have been keeping him busy. If only his father was here helping him out, but unfortunately he wasn't even in the country. He was alone in this.

When he was younger, Nathan dreamed about being a famous athlete or a successful chef but it was impossible to achieve those goals. Since he was born into a wealthy family that already prepared his future, it was hard for him to be a normal teenager. While the other boys were playing basketball in courts, he was cooped up in an office with his father talking about management skills and paper work. He couldn't really do something for himself, but as he grew older, he became used to it. He was very organized and strict. Sometimes he even came off as cold and bitter. And it was really difficult to have a committed relationship with his type of career – always working and never sparing enough time for himself.

Opening a relationship to the world with him and Rachel could be scandalous enough to ruin their hotel/resort chain. If he was involved with a celebrity, things could be difficult. They would be behind on work and the Hollywood business would try to gather personal information about the family that his father wouldn't like at all. It was about work and only work. Personal lives were supposed to be kept private. And if this new rumor about Rachel's new beau comes out about him, then things could get a little messy.

As he climbed out of his SUV, he glanced at Haley's convertible still parked at the same spot. He shook his head in disbelief. He couldn't believe that this girl was still walking around this city. He glanced at something blue around the rear view mirror. It was small and a bit familiar. So Nathan walked near it for a closer look.

_What the hell? She made herself her own employee tag? This girl is really something. _ He laughed as he stepped away from her car and crossed the street towards the hotel.

Before he went back to work, he decided to give Jake a visit in his hotel room. He pressed the button on the elevator and walked inside. A couple of people were already in there with him as he pulled out his phone from his pocket.

"Hey Jake," he greeted.

"Hey man, what's up?"

"I just got to work. Are you here?"

"Yeah, I'm in my hotel room. I'm just about to go out for lunch."

"Oh, okay. I just wanted to come visit you for a second."

"Sure, come on up!"

Nathan said his goodbye and hung up his phone. As soon as the elevator opened on Jake's floor, he started walking towards his room. Jake and Nathan have been close for years. Sometimes cousins aren't ever that close when they lived far away from each other. Jake was from South Carolina, so it wasn't that hard to keep in touch. But he left to study abroad for a couple of years in Europe for architecture. And even if he was away, they never lost touch of each other. They were opposites though. Jake was the carefree womanizer while Nathan was the workaholic with an agenda. Even if they were interested in completely different things, they still managed to become best friends.

Nathan knocked about three times before Jake swung open the door.

"You came here quick," Jake stated.

"I was already in the elevator when I decided to stop by," Nathan replied, stepping inside Jake's suite.

He started looking around the place and realized that it was still neat.

"I'm surprised you didn't mess up the place. You've been here for a few days already," Nathan stated.

"Hey! A man can't have a clean hotel these days?

"No, but it's you. Usually by the end of the first day, this place would be wrecked."

Jake chuckled as he grabbed himself a water bottle from the mini fridge. "It takes time. Don't rush me."

Nathan laughed as he continued to browse around a little more. When he walked towards the bedroom area, he noticed a bag from a clothing boutique.

"Are you secretly a woman?" Nathan asked, gazing at the pink bag.

Jake took a gulp from his water bottle and took a few steps towards Nathan. He smiled. "Oh that! I bought a few clothes for a girl today."

"A girl?"

"Don't be so surprised."

"I'm not. But why?"

"Do I need a reason? I just wanted to give her something nice."

"Right," Nathan nodded, settling himself down on one of the chairs in the living area. "Do you always resort to gifts to impress a girl?"

"I'm not that desperate."

"Are you sure? I remember you giving a pearl necklace to the last girl you had. If that's not desperate, I don't know what is."

"There's nothing wrong with giving girls gifts. Guys do it all the time. You should try it more often. I'm sure you'd like it," Jake stated.

Nathan chuckled and thought about the box hidden in his office desk. He was definitely not behind on the gift giving trend. He's been giving Rachel tiny gifts for a while now. It was just that Jake gave presents to every girl he met. It was a habit. It's as if the girls wouldn't like him enough if he didn't offer them gifts. Nathan figured that it could be the fact Jake was a little insecure inside. Even if he had an outgoing personality, it seemed like he was afraid that girls wouldn't accept him for just that.

"I'll try to jump on the wagon," Nathan replied.

"Speaking of girls, tell me more about yours."

"I can't really say much, she's my little secret," he replied. As he said that, he heard something come from the bathroom. Nathan turned his attention to the door and then glanced back at Jake.

"Is your girl here?" he asked.

Jake nodded his head. "Yeah, she needed to take a shower."

Inside the bathroom, Haley stepped out of the shower and wrapped a towel around her body. She could hear voices from outside and grew nervous. It was hard enough for her to be showering in his hotel room. But now there's someone else inside?

She groaned as she leaned over the sink and wiped the foggy mirror.

_What have you gotten yourself into, Haley? You're mooching off a rich boy- a really cute rich boy, at that and you're not even thinking about your pride? This isn't like you. _

She sighed at her reflection and grabbed her bracelet from the shelf. Once she slipped it on, she heard the voices again. They were both deep and sexy. And both sounded really familiar. As she heard laughter come from the other side, she tiptoed towards the door and placed her ear against it.

"It's funny how we met. Someone snatched her purse a couple nights ago. I was talking to my mom on the phone and I just ran after the thief," she heard Jake say. She smiled at the thought of it.

"I didn't know you were so heroic," the other voice said. Haley furrowed her eyes at the voice and continued to listen to the conversation.

"Well, I wanted to help. She was cute too. She seems a little off-the-wall, but she's cute."

_Off-the-wall? I am not! _

"It's always with the looks with you. Can't you just like a girl for who they are? There's more qualities in a person you know."

"I'm not that shallow. A good brain on a woman is a bonus too."

"I'm proud of you, Jake. You actually learned something while you were away."

"You know I got skills." She heard laughter and made a weirded out expression. "Anyways, I've been wanting to ask you something."

"What would that be?"

"Well, you've been really quiet about this new girl you've got lately. You haven't even told me who she was. And now I'm hearing rumors about Rachel Gatina dating some hotel heir."

". . . ."

"It's Rachel, isn't it? Are you two actually dating?"

"No . . . not exactly. I don't know how that rumor came out."

Haley's eyes widened and immediately figured out who was Jake's little visitor. She pulled herself away from the door to think for a bit and leaned in again to listen to more of the conversation.

"Not exactly?"

"I'm planning on asking her to be my girlfriend soon."

"You know your father isn't going to like this, Nathan."

_Nathan Scott? So the jackass's name is Nathan. Hmm. Fits him well. _Haley thought.

"I know, that's why I'm going to keep it a secret."

"Rachel's a famous celebrity now, you know it's not going to be easy."

"How long is your girl going to be in the bathroom?" Nathan asked, changing the subject completely.

"I don't know. Let me check."

Haley hurried across the bathroom to grab her old clothes. A few seconds later, Jake called out to see if she was done yet.

"Um, I'm drying my hair!" she replied.

She couldn't believe that Mr. Scott was in here as well. No wonder his voice sounded so familiar. She looked around for her new clothes and realized that she left them outside. How stupid of her to leave them outside. She couldn't believe that she forgot to bring them into the bathroom. She whimpered a little bit and walked back to the door. She was contemplating whether to shout for Jake to give her the clothes or run across the room and grab it herself. One thing she knew for sure was that she didn't want to draw attention to herself.

She grasped the handle and turned it carefully. As she slowly opened the door, she peeked out and noticed that a wall was blocking them. She sighed in relief and widened the entrance way. She held the towel tighter around her body and swiftly tiptoed closer to the bed. Haley took a quick glance at the living area and noticed that Jake had looked up at her and her heart began to pulsate.

"Hey, there she is!" Jake called out, raising his hand as Nathan turned to her direction.

"Sorry, I have to change!" she called out and she disappeared behind the wall before he could see her.

Nathan tilted his head at the sound of the female voice and turned back towards Jake. Then he looked over at Jake and noticed the smile on his face.

"We're about to go to lunch, do you want to come with us?" Jake offered as he twisted the cap on his bottle back on.

Nathan stood up from the chair and scratched the back of his neck.

"I can't. I just got here. I have some paper work to do, but I'll call you up. Maybe we can do dinner."

"Yeah sure," Jake replied. "But don't go yet. I want you to meet her."

"Sure," Nathan replied, sitting back down on the chair.

Haley could hear them talking again. He was so close to leaving too. She groaned as she pulled the red tank top over head. Then she stepped into her jeans. After she adjusted her clothes, she looked back at her reflection in the mirror. She grabbed a bundle of her damp hair and scrunched it up for natural curls. Once she finished fixing her hair, she grew anxious as she approached the door. She didn't want him to see her. Not even for a second, but she couldn't stay in the bathroom forever.

"She's taking a really long time, Jake."

"I guess she's fixing her hair or something."

"I'll just meet her next time. I have to get back to work," Nathan stood up from his chair and led himself towards the hallway by the bathroom. As he walking down the hall towards the doorway, the bathroom opened, revealing a freshly clothed Haley.

Nathan jumped back when he found her standing there.

"What are you doing here?" he cried out.

"I'm – I was taking a shower," she replied.

"You know each other?" Jake asked, stepping in closer to them. Haley started pushing her hair away from her face to avoid eye contact with the guys.

"She's the girl you helped out?" Nathan asked, confused.

"Yeah. She needed a little help, so-"

"You can't help this girl," Nathan cut in.

Haley's eyes narrowed and placed her hands against he hips. "Excuse me?"

"She's a freeloader!"

"What are you talking about, Nate?" Jake replied, curiously, glancing at Haley.

"I met her couple of days ago. She lied to the cop about being an employee here and then she asked me for money."

"Gas money. I asked for gas money," she corrected, annoyed.

"It doesn't matter, you begged me for money anyways." He looked her up and down again, noticing her new outfit. "I can't believe you even asked him to buy you clothes."

"Hey, she didn't beg me. I offered to buy 'em," Jake stated.

"She's a conniver, Jake. She's fooling with you."

"Calm down. She's a woman for goodness sakes. She needed some help, so I helped her out. What's the big deal? She's not harmful."

Haley smiled at Jake and then glared at Nathan who was distraught. She figured that she left a pretty negative impression on him. It was a shame that he thought of her as a street rat. But even so, he was beginning to get on her last nerves.

"You never know with people like her. Just because she has an innocent face doesn't mean she isn't harmful."

"Hey, jerk face! Stop talking about me like that. I'm not a fucking beggar," Haley retorted.

"You're a liar, then. That's what they do in the world of crimes."

"World of crimes? Excuse me!"

"I can see through you, you know."

"As if!"

"Jake, don't help her anymore."

"Just because I asked for money doesn't mean you can look down on me, asshole!" she yelled. "You're a wealthy man, woop dee doo. It still doesn't give you a right!"

"Don't yell at me!"

"I can if I WANT TO!" she shouted, moving closer to his face.

"Are you hearing this, Jake?" Nathan asked, turning away from Haley's death glare. Jake just stood there amused by their little argument.

"I think you're jumping into conclusions man."

"Yeah, what he said," Haley stated. Jake chuckled.

"Are you serious?" Nathan questioned. "How can you be on her side? You barely even know the girl." He looked back at Haley and grimaced. "But unfortunately she's already reeled you in with her looks, didn't she?" Nathan glanced at her again, observing her beauty. He realized that she was actually really pretty, but he was still disgusted by her. "She's not even that cute."

She scoffed and punched him across the shoulder. "Take that back!"

"Geez!" Nathan cried out, holding his shoulder. "That hurt!" he yelped, shocked from her strength.

"That's what you get for talking about me like I'm some street urchin."

"Get her out of here, Jake."

"Are you mad because I didn't let you drive me the other night?"

Nathan lifted his eyebrows at her and laughed. "You think I cared about that night?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders and said, "You tell me."

"Okay, that's it. I'm going to back to work." Nathan opened the door and stepped out, but then turned back around. "She better be out of this building soon. Got it?"

Jake nodded his slightly without giving him an official answer and glanced at Haley. She was glaring intensely at him before he slammed the door.

"You two argue like a married couple," Jake stated, smirking at Haley.

She stopped glaring at the door and glanced at Jake.

"Huh? Hell no. He's a jerk!"

"He's my cousin."

"Cousin?" she questioned. "I feel sorry for you. Can we get lunch now? I'm starving." She walked out of the bathroom entrance and walked over to the bed where her purse was.

He laughed at how she suddenly changed the subject and nodded his head.

* * *

"You know, I'm thinking about staying here for a while," Haley stated, slurping the soup from her bowl.

"Maybe you should. I'd like to see you more often," Jake smiled, watching her as she ate her food. They went to the Cheese Cake factory downtown and she ordered an appetizer, a bowl of pasta, and a cheesecake all for herself. And he couldn't believe how fast she threw the food down her throat. He has never seen someone eat so much. She was tiny too.

"All I need is a job."

"I'll help you find one," he suggested.

"How?"

"I don't know. I'll start reading some articles in the newspaper."

"Why are you being so polite to me?" she asked curiously.

Jake shrugged his shoulders and looked down at his plate of pizza. "Is it wrong to be nice to a lady?"

"I don't know. It's kind of overwhelming," she replied, moving her spoon around her soup bowl.

"Why is that?"

"It's just that men have been rude to me lately. Well, minus my best friend, Luke, but everyone else seems to have the tendency to start havoc with me."

"Maybe they're intimidated."

"What's so intimidating about me? I'm a poor girl struggling to become a successful photographer. I eat like a vacuum cleaner and I am jobless."

"You're cute," he replied.

Haley paused for a second and tried to avoid eye contact with him by just staring at her food. She thought Jake was a pretty nice guy, but he seemed overly confident with her. It was like he knew he could make her like him if he just told her what she wanted to hear. She didn't like it that much. Plus, Jake wasn't the type of guy she was into. She actually didn't know what kind of guy she was into. All she knew was that Jake didn't seemed to fit into her comfort zone of relationships.

"Do you always say nice things like that?" she asked, twisting a fork full of pasta on her plate.

"Only to special people," he replied.

"I think you should be a salesman," she suggested, stuffing the food into her mouth. "You'd be really good at that. Or maybe a greeting card writer."

He couldn't help but chuckle at her random comment and took a sip from his glass. "I'll jot that down somewhere." He glanced at her as she nodded while chewing her food. "So, why do you want to be a photographer?"

She swallowed the lump of food in her throat and looked up at him. "It's always been something I've loved since I was a child. Well, I was kind of born into it. My father was a photographer too."

"Really? So you want to follow your father's foot steps?"

"Eh. Kind of and kind of not. He's taught me a lot about photography, but I want to learn how to do everything on my own and create my own style."

"You're pretty independent then."

"Yep, I've been for a while now," she replied. She glanced over at Jake's plate and noticed that he was only half way done with his food. "Are you going to eat that?"

He looked down and raised his eyebrows at her. "Uh, I think I'm done."

"Can I have some of it?"

"Yeah sure," he replied slowly as he pushed the plate forward.

She smiled with glee and replaced her empty pasta plate with his plate of half eaten pizza. He watched as she broke a piece of it off and stuffed it into her mouth.

"Mmm," she moaned with her eyes closed. "This is so good!"

Jake was confused and startled by the way she had eaten everything like a garbage truck. This woman was one of a kind and he couldn't seemed to resist wanting to get to know more about her. She was interesting and cute. She was nothing like the other girls he has met. She was like a breath of fresh air. But as he continued to watch her eat, he laughed to himself.

* * *

"Welcome to the Regalien Hotel, Miss Gatina," her limo driver greeted as he opened her door.

Rachel stepped out of her BMW one leg after another and glanced up at the glowing hotel in front of her. She smiled once she read the sign and pushed down her sunglasses. She was so happy to finally make it here in one of her favorite cities in the country. The driver shut the door and popped thee trunk open to grab her luggage.

She breathed out a sigh of relief and looked around her. She noticed that a bunch of her fans and other people were crowding the streets. She even spotted the paparazzi flashing their cameras at her. Good thing hotel security and her guards took care of it and covered her as she walked inside the hotel. Everyone else was shoved out of the way unless they were a guest.

It was difficult being an A-list starlet. People were always watching your every move and camera men were always going to be chasing you down even if you're at the gym. It just comes with the territory. Sometimes Rachel would find it quite annoying especially when she's out eating. She couldn't eat a fried chicken without magazines reporting that she let herself go. But even if her private life wasn't always private, she absolutely loved the attention. She loved it so much that she was never going to quit.

Once she finally made it inside without a camera in sight, her driver gave her the suitcases and quickly walked towards the counter.

"I'm registered under Virginia," she stated, with her sunglasses on and her hat above her head.

The lady glanced at the red head and suddenly felt star struck. "A-are you a Rachel Gatina?

Rachel paused and observed the hotel employee for a few seconds and looked back at her purse. "Yeah," she replied. "Can you tell me what room number I'm in? I'm kind of in a hurry."

The woman quickly nodded her head and turned towards her computer and started typing things on it. While Rachel was waiting for her hotel key, she looked around the lobby and soaked in every ounce of the room. It didn't change one bit. She remembered the days when she was just starting out as a model. She wasn't all that famous yet, but Nathan took care of her. He made sure that no one would trample her or jump on her. He was very protective and she loved that about him. She was so happy to have a friend like him in her life.

"Your suite is in on the eleventh floor, Miss Gatina. It is suite 1123," the woman stated as she handed her the key card.

"Thank you so much. But can you please try to keep my room number a secret. I don't want anyone spying around the halls for me," Rachel asked.

"No problem, Miss Virginia."

"Thank you," she said and turned around to find a familiar face with an unfamiliar woman by the entrance. She took off her sunglasses and waved at the brown haired man when they made eye contact. Then she hurried her way towards the guy.

"Jake!" she called out.

"Hey!" he replied.

She quickly came over and pulled him into a tight embrace. Good thing security took care of all the paparazzi and guests outside or people would've gone crazy over her hugging another man.

"I haven't seen you in months. How are you?"

"I'm great."

"That's good. What are you doing here? Did you come because you knew that I was going to be in town?"

Jake chuckled and shook his head. "Actually, my mother's getting married soon. She's having her wedding here."

"Oh that's fantastic! When? I think I'll be here long enough to go. Am I invited?"

Haley was standing next to Jake as the two people exchanged conversation. She couldn't believe her eyes. She was standing right in front of Hollywood's hottest starlets and she was even prettier in person.

"Yeah, I'll try to talk my mother into inviting you. She's really going over the top for the wedding even if she did say she wanted a simple one. She probably wouldn't mind having a celebrity attend the event."

"I'm sure it will be lovely," Rachel smiled, her eyes sparkling. She looked away from Jake for a second and glanced at Haley's timid frame beside him. "Is this your girlfriend?"

Jake looked to his side. "No, she's a friend of mine that I met a couple of days ago. This is Haley."

"Hi," she smiled.

"Hi," Rachel greeted back, feeling a bit uncomfortable. After a few seconds, she ignored Haley and went back to Jake. "So you'll be staying in the hotel for a while?"

"Yeah, I'll be flying in and out of town for the next few months."

"Oh well then, we should hang out while you're here." She leaned over and whispered, "I'm in room 1123 on the eleventh floor. So don't hesitate to visit."

Haley lifted an eyebrow and immediately thought about the $5000 reward for the pictures.

"Sure," Jake nodded.

"Okay, well. I better get ready. I have a lot of things to do today," Rachel stated, smiling at both of them. "I wonder where my assistant is?" she questioned as she looked around the place. A middle aged lady with glasses came walking through the entrance with a purse. "There she is! Well, I'll see you guys later. Nice meeting you, Haley."

Haley nodded as the Rachel joined the lady and walked away towards the elevator.

"You know her?" Haley asked.

"Yeah, we've been friends for a while before she became super famous."

"Oh, wow. What other celebrities are you friends with?"

"Ha, just her."

"Lucky, you," she replied.

"Come on, let's go look through these newspaper articles so we can find a decent job for you."

Haley nodded as they began walking to the lobby. She glanced at the elevator where Rachel just entered and kept thinking about the money she could earn for taking her pictures. She wouldn't have to wait for a paycheck. She could snap the pictures, send them in and gain instant cash to pay for her apartment and bills. Then she could eventually find a job somewhere back at home. It wasn't something she'd be proud of but she was willing to sacrifice her dignity for money at this point.

**_

* * *

_**

**_Hours later._**

"Wow, these pictures are pretty impressive, Haley," Jake commented as he looked through her camera in the lobby. They were taking a break from job searching to look at her photos that she had taken in the past few weeks. Some of them were taken recently since the day she stayed here. There wasn't much, but Jake seemed really impressed with her photography skills.

"You really think so? It's just random shots of buildings," Haley replied.

"No, these are really good. You should send these out somewhere and show them to someone."

Haley shrugged and took the camera back. "I don't know. These are kind of mediocre compared to the professionals. I need more practice."

"Maybe I can ask Rachel to send these to some of her people."

"Um no no. I don't want you to do that. I'd rather find success on my own. I don't need celebrities helping me out. I'll look desperate."

Jake chuckled. "I'm just sending them to her not forcing her to like them. It's a step up towards your goal."

Haley sighed deeply and started looking through her photos and came across a family photo of her best friends.

"I don't know. I'll think about it," she answered, refusing to look up at him.

"Well once you decide just tell me," he replied. He stretched out his arms and leaned forwards on his knees. "I'm tired."

"Then you should get some sleep."

"Do you have a place to stay?"

Haley grabbed the camera near her eye and snapped a picture of him sitting down and answered, "I'll just sleep in my car."

"Are you serious? I can't let you do that."

"I'll just stay up then and lounge around here for a while." Jake gave her a look. "I'll be fine. Stop worrying about me."

He stood up from his chair and looked down at her as she observed the picture she just took. "I'm on the ninth floor so just call me if you need to sleep."

"Alright, alright," she replied, lazily. "Go sleep! You've done enough for me today."

"You better call me," he said leaning down to write his number on a piece of paper. He handed it to her and waited for her goodbye. She held it in her hand and glanced at the numbers. She nodded at him before he walked away to enter the elevator.

It was her third night here and it was such a relief to actually sit on a comfortable cushion. The chair she was sitting on felt like a heavenly cloud. She lifted herself off the chair and started patting it, trying to see what it was made of. She grazed her fingers across the fabric and was fascinated by how soft it was. She smiled and sat back down on it.

She remembered the days when she would stay at elegant places like this before she moved out. She's been away from the luxurious life for so long that she grew easily amazed by it like she's never seen it before. The lobby was large and very bright. The ceilings were high and she could see people walking on the sidewalk through the tall windows. She remembered walking in and noticing that the windows were like mirrors. It was a pretty private hotel. You can't see from the outside but you can see from the inside. There were large green plants at every corner. The floor was made of marble and beautiful paintings were framed on the walls. This was one of the things she missed most about living a wealthy life. Its fun to have extravagant materials every once in a while, but it was too much for her to handle.

As she was enjoying herself in the lobby, she looked around and found the jerk face walking out of the elevator. He was wearing his usual business suit attire and tie. She scowled at him as he readjusted his jacket and entered the hotel restaurant. She watched him carefully and noticed a rectangular box peeking from inside his jacket.

Haley mumbled something to herself when he disappeared inside and returned to the newspaper. She scanned the circled jobs on the list and found one with a huge star on it. A local photography studio was searching for a new assistant. It was kind of like her job at Kirk's, but it was in the city so the pay could be better. As she pulled out her phone to dial the number, she heard loud screams from the entrance. Haley turned to the sound and found Rachel walking in with security guards surrounding her.

She was wearing a different outfit from earlier. It was a red dress that stopped by the knee and a white belt around her waist. Haley groaned at her outfit and wished that someday she could afford something like that using her own money. Once the doors closed, the sound subsided and Rachel continued to walk towards the hotel restaurant where Nathan entered.

Haley quickly grew curious as she watched her enter the place.

_If Rachel just walked in there then that meant that she was meeting up with Nathan. No one else knows what I know so I have a head start. I am so lucky! _Haley thought. _But God and mom, please forgive me for what I'm about to do. Please please forgive me in the future. It's the only way. _

* * *

"I only have a supporting role in this movie so it isn't going to be a very big thing for me, but at least it will help me get a part in a more serious role in the future," Rachel stated as she sat across from Nathan in their private room.

"Yeah, I'm sure you'll be great in it."

"Thank you, sir," she smiled. "So how's the business? Is it going well?"

Nathan took a sip of his wine and nodded. "It's getting there. We still have to go through more negotiations, but it's looking really good so far. My dad's overseas so he's trying to work things out."

Rachel nodded and glanced at Nathan's suit. She lifted an eyebrow and noticed a little box peeking from inside the pocket. "What's that you got there? Is that my present?"

Nathan stopped eating for a second and looked down at the box. "Oh, that," he chuckled nervously. "Yeah, I was going to give it to you later, but now that you've seen it already . . ." he pulled the long rectangular box out from his jacket and placed it on the table.

Rachel smiled as he slid the box towards her. She unlaced the red ribbon and lifted the top off. Inside revealed a white gold necklace with a jeweled key connected to it. Her eyes sparkled at the sight. She loved it when Nathan gave her gifts, but this seemed to reach a multitude of expectations. He has never given her jewelry before.

"Oh, Nathan! You shouldn't have." Nathan watched her as she played with the necklace around her hands. He was pleased by her expression. He knew she would love it.

"It's a promise key," he stated. "Since you're now a famous celebrity, I wanted to give you something that reminded you of our friendship – just in case you forget me while you're busy making movies."

Rachel glanced at the shiny jewel before she smiled at Nathan. "Do you really think that I'd forget you, Nathan Scott?"

He shrugged as he lifted from his chair. "Let me help you put it on," he said as he walked behind her and held the necklace around her neck. While he latched it on, he thought about asking her what she thought of their relationship. He liked her for so long that he was willing to wait for her, but she never seemed to want more. But recently he was feeling a different vibe from her. A positive vibe. And he had a feeling that this would be the right time to ask her.

"This is so beautiful," she smiled as she touched the key against her chest. Nathan slowly parted from her and kneeled down next to her chair.

Rachel glanced at him and immediately grew curious. "Can I ask you something?"

"Y-yeah sure," she answered nervously.

"I've been thinking about us lately. We've been friends for a long time and you know how I feel about you, and I was thinking maybe –"

"Nathan," she cut in. She already knew where he was going with this conversation. She didn't want him to continue on. It would be unfair for him to confess his feelings towards her when she knew that nothing was going to happen between them. "Don't."

"What?"

"I know what you're going to say. And I can't return the favor. I've told you many times before that we're just friends."

Nathan's heart sank when she said that. His heart and mind definitely fooled him. Just when he thought things were getting better, nothing had changed at all. He slowly stood up from his knees and walked back over to his seat.

"Oh," was all he said.

"I'm sorry, Nate. I know that you probably wanted me to say something so much better than 'we're just friends', but it takes two people to have an intimate relationship. And so far only one person is playing the part." Rachel began to feel a bit guilty for being honest with him, but she had to. She saw the pain on his face as she spoke. It hurt her to see him that way, but she couldn't be who he wanted her to be. "Please, don't hate me, Nathan."

Nathan scratched the edge of his hair line and chuckled nervously. "I don't hate you, Rachel. I never will."

"So you're okay?"

He nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

"We're still best friends. You'll still take care of me right?"

Nathan took a moment to collect his thoughts. It was overwhelming for him to get rejected again by the one person that he actually cared about. Then he dusted it away and smiled up at her. "I'll take care of you. Even if we can't be more than friends like I want us to be, I'll always be there for you."

"Good. That's how it should be. We have to stick together," she smiled, grabbing his hand in hers. "Come on, walk me to my room."

* * *

Haley was taking a nap the whole time she was waiting in the lobby. She was practically snoring on the couch while people passed. It didn't bother her though; she was used to it now since she's been sleeping in her car for the past few days.

Once she heard a loud crash come from across the room, her eyes shot open and noticed that someone had dropped something from their luggage. Then she quickly looked towards the restaurant and noticed that Nathan was opening the door for Rachel. She quickly tucked her camera under her arm and watched them as they entered the elevator. She waited until they finally disappeared to run to the next available elevator.

She left the wrinkled newspaper in the lobby as she ran inside the opened elevator. She quickly pressed the floor number that Rachel was staying on and started whispering "hurry hurry". Haley suddenly grew nervous as the doors closed and the light on the buttons started to chime as it changed.

_This is just a one time thing. I'm only doing this once. Just once. This isn't a bad thing. It wont be. I don't really know or care about these people so it shouldn't affect me at all. So calm down, Haley. Just do what you got to do to get money and be done with it. All I have to do is try not to get caught. Damn it._

She groaned at her thoughts and then noticed that the light chimed when it reached the eleventh floor. Her heart began to race as the doors opened. She was hesitant to step out, but she had to make a choice before it closed. She took a step forward, stuck her head out and peeked down the halls. She turned her head left, but no one was there. Then she looked right and found the couple walking and laughing together.

Haley took in a deep breath and moved forward right as the door closed. She tried to take another step, but she noticed that her shoelace was stuck in the doors. Her eyes widened and tried to pull it out. The couple was still walking down the hall, not looking back once. So Haley continued pulling her shoelace out of the door. When she finally took it out, her strength from the pull forced her to fall back on her ass.

"Agh!" she cried out. She placed her hand against her back and realized a few seconds later that she was probably loud. The couple turned their heads, so she quickly crawled behind a wall to hide herself. Luckily they didn't see her and continued walking.

Haley slowly peeked out from the wall and watched them walk away. She stood up from the floor and slipped her camera strap around her neck. Then she quietly tiptoed behind Nathan and Rachel and pulled her camera up to her eye. She tried to focus on them, but she was getting nervous as she turned the lens. As she quietly looked at them through her camera, she watched Rachel grab Nathan's hand in hers. Haley held down the flash and snapped the photo. Nathan turned his head at the sound and Haley quickly hid behind a wall once again.

She repeated this process a couple more times before they finally made it to her suite. Finally, she could see their profiles so she had to be hidden for these photos. As she watched them carefully, she realized that this was a perfect angle for this shot. His face shown a little bit and her face was in full view. Haley pulled her camera near her eye and pin pointed at the couple as they said their goodbye. When she was ready to take a shot, Rachel leaned in for a kiss on his cheek. Then they both came in for a tight embrace and Haley took another one. But this time she forgot to hold down the flash so the light was bright and clear when she took it.

Her eyes widened from the sudden flash and she quickly ran away from her secret spot. Nathan and Rachel saw it as well which caused him to turn around and spot Haley down the hall.

"Hey you!" he called out. "COME BACK HERE!"

Haley took a quick glance back at him and started to run down the hall towards the elevator. "Oh my god!" she whispered to herself as she sprinted away from him. "I'm so stupid!"

"COME BACK HERE!" he kept saying as he jogged after her, angrily.

She continued to run closer and closer towards the opened elevator. Someone stepped inside and she quickened her pace to catch up to it before it closed. Her heart was racing and her legs were shaking. She couldn't handle this type of anxiety right now. When she finally reached the elevator, the door was inches away from being closed.

"HOLD IT!" she cried out, but the doors sealed. And then suddenly her pulse quickened and she was short of breath. She stepped to the side and repeatedly pressed the down button to open the next elevator. Glancing over at Nathan, she noticed that he was even closer than before and it caused her to tremble.

"Ugh, stupid elevator won't open!" she mumbled. He was a few feet away so she gave up on the elevator and continued running down the hall. Her arms were flailing in the air as she tried to escape. He looked really angry when she saw him. He was definitely not happy about her taking his pictures. And that probably gave him another reason to hate her now.

Once she found the door to the stairs, she reached for the handle. But before she could open it, she felt something strong grab her arm and pulled her away. His grip was so tight that she could feel a bruise developing.

"You!" She winced from the pain around her arm and glared at him. "Were you taking pictures of us?" he asked.

Haley tried to wiggle herself out, but he held on even tighter. She groaned and avoided the gaze that was burning through her skin. She quickly slipped the memory card out of her camera and tucked it into her pocket. Then she glanced up and blinked at him shamefully.

"Are you trying to make me mad? I thought I told you to get out of here." he stated angrily.

"Jake said I could stay here for a while," she replied.

"You've got to be kidding me." He shook his head in disbelief. "How many pictures did you take?"

"Not a lot," she answered.

"Give me your camera," he ordered forcefully.

"Fine, here." She pulled the strap off her head and handed it to him. "Take a look."

Nathan held it in hands. As he held the camera, Haley tried to run away. But when he realized that it had nothing on it, he quickly grabbed her am and scowled at her.

"OW!" she cried. "You're hurting me!"

"Give me the memory card," he ordered.

"I don't have it."

"I know you have it." He began looking around her pockets, but Haley kept wiggling herself away from him.

"Stop it!" she cried out. "How do you know that I have it, asshole?"

"You were taking pictures over there. You have to have a memory card to take pictures. Now give it to me."

"Why would I give it to you when you're being rude to me?"

Nathan sighed and shook his head. "I'm going to say this nicely then. Can you please give me the memory card?"

Haley didn't say anything. Instead, she just stared at him and smiled at the idea that popped in her head.

"What will I get if I do?"

Nathan looked at her curiously. "Huh?"

"Don't act stupid. You know what I said. If I give you the memory card, what will I get in return?"

"You have got to be kidding me! I can't believe you're asking me for money again. Do your parents know that you're doing this?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "No comment."

Nathan started to chuckle. "Your parents probably raised you this way, right? They're probably hustlers."

"Excuse me! They are not. You should stop judging me if I were you."

"I'm not judging you. Your actions seem to show it."

Haley rolled her eyes. "I'm not giving you the memory card if you continue to mock me. I'm just trying to make a deal with you."

"I'll give you the twenty bucks you asked for, if that's what you want," he stated as he started to grab his wallet from his pocket. Haley laughed to herself when she noticed him picking out a twenty dollar bill. He was confused when he heard her and he slowly looked up. "What's so funny?"

"It's too late to give me twenty bucks, you meat head."

"I'll give you forty, then," he replied grabbing another bill.

"That's not what I want."

"Then what do you want then?"

"Give me a job here and pay me on the spot," she replied. "I don't want to wait for a weekly check. I'd like to have the money right after my shift. I don't care what job it is as long as I get paid."

Nathan looked at her curiously and smirked at her command. "You're nuts. Why would I want you to work in this hotel when I know you could easily take more pictures of us? I'd rather you just leave here and drive back home to where you came from. You needed the gas money right? So here," he placed the forty bucks into her hands. "Use it and go home."

Haley grew irritated and threw the money down. "I don't want this. I want a job!"

"Fine, I'll give you a hundred bucks," he pulled out a few more bills and gave it to her. But all she did was let it fall out of her hands. He watched the green paper slowly fall down and glanced back at her in confusion. "I just gave you a hundred bucks. Why aren't you accepting it?"

"Because I don't want money to be just given to me."

"You didn't hesitate before."

"But that was earlier. This is now. I want to stay here a little longer and if I want to make money here, I'll have to work for it. So give me a job."

"You-" he paused and stared at her for a second. He didn't understand this girl. She was so wishy washy and so fickle. One day she's asking for money and accepting clothes from strangers and the next day she rather work for money than accept it freely. "You're impossible, you know that?"

"So is that a yes?"

"You want me to give you a job here, it doesn't matter what, and pay you daily?"

Haley nodded. "Yup and I promise that I won't release any photos of the two of you."

"Why don't you just give me the memory card instead?"

"No. I have other pictures on here that are mine," she replied. "Just trust me when I say that I won't release them. I promise you that I won't. Please give me a job and I'll leave your private life alone."

Nathan thought for a second. He couldn't just trust her after she got the nerve to take paparazzi pictures of him and Rachel. But there was something in her eyes that wanted to give her a chance. She had a certain aura that pulled him in. He couldn't understand it and he couldn't understand why she did what she did, but he was willing to accept her deal.

"Fine," he said. Haley immediately put on a huge smile and felt his hand loosen from her arm. "You promise you won't post those pictures anywhere, right?"

"I promise!" she replied, holding up her hand.

"Good."

"So when should I start?" she asked.

"Now," he replied.

"Huh? Now?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"As what? A maid? A hostess? Door holder? Chauffer? Waitress?" she asked, continuously without a breath in between. "What am I?"

He stared at her coldly causing her to feel uncomfortable. "You're my new personal assistant."

"Y-your what?"

"You know what I said."

"Don't people like you already have that?" she asked, curiously.

"I have Emily. She's my assistant at the office, but I don't have a personal _personal_ assistant. You'll be the person who runs my errands, takes my calls, and does my laundry, clean my house –"

"Hold up!" she cut in. "Your laundry? Clean your house?"

"Yeah. It's the only job where I can keep my eye on you."

"I thought you agreed to trust me."

"I agreed to it but that doesn't mean I actually trust you."

"So you're practically making me your slave?"

Nathan nodded. "It's the only job that I can give you where I can pay you on the spot. If I give you a job here and give you that type of privilege, the workers will start a riot. And I don't want that."

Haley realized that it made sense. She didn't want to start a ruckus around the hotel. It would be all her fault if that ever happened, and she didn't want to risk that. So she looked up at Mr. Highness and sighed. She rolled her eyes at him and couldn't believe that this was the only job available. But it was better than being a paparazzi.

"What? You don't like it? I can just give you how ever much money you need, but wait . . . you don't like that kind of stuff."

"I didn't say that I didn't want the job. It's just . . . it means that I have to be around your cocky face all the time," she replied, disgusted.

"I'm not going to like it either, but it's a job, so take it."

People would think she was crazy to take a slave job over free cash, but she wasn't like most people. She really had a warm heart and she'd rather be his slave than ruin everything by revealing his private life to the world. She didn't want to be a villain. She wanted to be civilian, someone who struggles to get to the top. Even if she barely knew Nathan and hated his guts, he was still human. Private things are supposed to stay private. Plus, she had an advantage in this. She was going to get paid good money to help pay for her rent and bills. It was perfect and weird, but still perfect.

"Okay," she finally said. "I'll take it."

"Alright. Everything's settled then. You promise to never reveal those pictures to anyone while I promise to pay you on the spot."

Haley nodded and held out her hand towards him. "Let's shake on it. The only way to seal the deal is to shake on it. Everyone does it. I'm sure you've done it all the time at meetings."

Nathan didn't show it, but he was laughing inside. He held out his hand and shook hers. "Agreed," he said.

**_What do you think? I like big replies. It keeps me inspired to write more and update more often. __*hint hint* _**


	4. Lie 4

Hi oh so lovely readers. I'm glad you're loving the story so far and I absolutely love the reviews. I like long reviews because reading what you all have to say about the story keeps my creative brain pumping. It does! It makes me happy to know all the little details you like about the characters, the plot line and how completely AU this story is. I know that it's totally different and not what people are used to when reading OTH fanfics. I'm a big fan of AU stories. You won't be seeing me writing any season 3 continuations or what not. Probably one-shots but my long novel-like stories will always be AU. So it might be weird reading your fave characters so OOC. But it's fun to play around with their personalities. :)

And to answer your question,23bNrAuLcEaYs, yes Brooke and Lucas will be appearing more in the story. They are part of Haley's background, so they will be very much needed in the plot line. I also have to mention that you are right about how not many stories pair up Haley and Jake. I thought it would be fun to have that. It's a creative way to keep the characters lively and fun to write.

Again my Steadfast addicts, it will be update soon. I haven't given up on that. The cute love story between NH in that fanfic will very much continue and will be complete so DON'T WORRY. I'm still thinking about it.

Here's the next chapter! I hope you like it! Thank you again for the wonderful, long replies. It keeps me inspired!

* * *

**Chapter 4 "Lie 4"**

"Am I supposed to follow you where ever you go or something?" Haley asked as Nathan entered the elevator. She followed him inside and waited for him to answer. But he never replied. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to your girlfriend?"

Nathan turned to her coldly while the doors shut. "I thought you were going to leave my personal life private. Wasn't that part of the deal?"

"I know, but you just left her waiting. You should tell her where you're going. I'm sure she'll be worried."

"She'll be fine," he answered, looking away from her and removing a piece of lint from his sleeve. He really didn't want to talk about Rachel at this time. He just got rejected and he sure as hell didn't want to have a heart to heart with Haley.

Haley just stood there quietly, watching the numbers change. She quickly glanced at him and observed his physique. He was very tall with a strong jaw line. His hair was perfectly trimmed and gelled. And he stood like a marine with his back straight and his hands in his pockets. She's never seen someone so stiff and emotionless like him in her life.

"Do you wear suits all the time?" she asked, glancing at his outfit from his tie to his shoes. "It must be expensive."

"It is," he replied.

"So tell me exactly what my job is," she said, quickly changing the subject. He looked at her confused. "I've never done something like this before so you should explain all the rules, boss."

"You just have to do as I say," he answered.

"Can you be a little bit more specific? I like to know what exactly I'm going to be doing."

Nathan sighed deeply and slowly turned to her. She was a very talkative and vivacious person. She didn't lack a personality at all. And he just stared at her with a slightly annoyed expression.

"Your job is pretty much what a maid or butler does. You clean the house, my laundry, cook me food, and do my errands."

Haley groaned and scratched the back of her neck. "I never thought I'd be doing this with my life," she mumbled.

"What?"

"Catering to a wealthy man," she replied. "Now that I think about it, our deal isn't really fair. You're getting two things out of this deal. I'm cleaning for you_ and_ keeping your secret while I just get paid. Do you think that's fair?"

"Well, it's what we agreed to. If you want to change your mind –"

"No," she cut in. "I'll do it. Just don't boss me around too much. I'm not a slave."

"I'll try not to."

"Cause if you do, I can easily post these pictures online," she threatened. Nathan quickly shot her a daring look when she said that. Haley chuckled to herself at his sudden expression and turned away.

"You better not," he replied.

"We'll see," she answered as the doors opened. Nathan took one glance at her before he walked out and she followed.

* * *

Jake sat up on his bed while he watched the sports news. He sat there for a while waiting and hoping for Haley to call him, but she never did. It was starting to annoy him because girls would usually call him immediately after he had given them his number. He wasn't used to waiting like this. He was even getting worried about her. She probably forgot and passed out in the lobby or Nathan told someone to kick her out.

So instead of waiting for her for another hour, he decided to go to bed. And before he closed his eyes, the last thing he pictured was her face - Haley's beautiful face that left a mark on Jake. No one's ever made a mark on him before. And it made him smile.

A few floors above him, Rachel was sitting at her vanity mirror brushing her long red hair over shoulder. She held the necklace that Nathan gave her earlier around her fingers. It reflected against the mirror as she turned it.

"_I wanted to give you something that reminded you of our friendship," Nathan said._

She smiled at the thought of Nathan. She felt horrible for being completely honest with him at dinner. It's the only way to keep their friendship away from harm. Rachel respected his love for her, but it wasn't easy to accept something like that when she didn't feel the same way. But it hurt a little bit when he didn't even come back after chasing after Haley. Not even a text, call or a goodbye.

* * *

"Don't you have a place to stay?" Nathan asked as he walked out of the hotel with his keys in hand.

Haley hesitated to answer as she glanced at her car across the street. She made a face and shook her head.

Nathan stopped walking for a second when he saw her expression. "Then where have you been sleeping then?"

"In my car," she replied.

"Are you serious? You've been sleeping in that little thing these past few days?" He pointed towards her old black convertible and observed the seats. It looked too crammed to sleep inside.

"Well, I don't have money to stay anywhere else," she snapped, annoyed. "I tried to get money for gas from a bastard man a few days ago, but he refused, so I've been sleeping there."

Nathan glared at her when she mentioned him and scratched the edge of his forehead. "Look, I could still give you the money you need. Just tell me how much."

"No," she refused. "I'm not accepting it."

"Why do you like making things so difficult?" he asked, frustrated.

"Because I'm not like most people. "

"Okay," he answered slowly. He stepped closer to her as people passed by. "Since our deal isn't really fair, like you've stated before, I'll give you something else in return."

"You're going to give me a house!" she asked, excitedly.

He looked at her strangely and chuckled dryly. "No, I'm not giving you a damn house. I'll give you a place to stay."

"I'm not staying in this hotel," she snapped.

"I'll let you stay in my house. I have an extra room," he said.

Haley was stunned for a second when he said that. How could he let her live in her house when he hated her guts? It was strange and a little weird for him to ask her to live with him. She never thought about living with the opposite sex before. It was the last thing she's ever thought about.

"Y-You want me to live with you?"

"I'm not asking you to live with me. I'm offering a room to you."

She looked at him for a second and tried to read the lines in his eyes. Her eyes squinted while searching for some sincerity in his gaze. After a while of observing him, she leaned back and lifted her eyebrow.

"I guess that makes our deal even then,"' she stated. "Do you really trust me living under the same roof as you?"

"Well I have to trust you," he said. "It was part of our deal, right?"

"We're going to have to make a contract or something."

"Look, you don't have to pay for rent. You'll be working for me anyways."

"You're so nice to me," she smiled.

Nathan noticed the grin on her face and shook his head. He didn't want to seem too pleased so he turned away with his back towards her. "I'm doing it because I pity you," he said.

She scoffed and hit him on the back. "Why are you so rude!" she asked, but he ignored her. He looked left and right before crossing the street and left her at the sidewalk. Haley watched him curiously and wasn't sure if she was supposed to follow him. She kind of stood there holding her arms together as cars passed.

Once Nathan made it to his car, he realized that she didn't follow him. He turned around and found her standing there like a lost puppy.

"WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" he yelled out over the cars.

She turned to him like a deer in headlights. "Was I supposed to follow you?" she replied.

"How else are you going to get to my house?"

Haley nodded to herself and realized that he was right. What was she doing anyways? So she looked left and right before she jogged across the streets towards his car. When she walked over to the passenger seat, she noticed how big and shiny his car was compared to her little car. She groaned and realized that his wealth was going to be rubbed in her face now that she was his personal assistant.

* * *

Brooke shut the front the door and threw her purse on the couch next to Lucas who was reading a book.

"I put Marley to bed already," he stated as he flipped a page. Brooke propped herself next to Lucas and pouted. "What's wrong baby?" he asked.

"Haley hasn't called me or texted me in a while," she answered, placing her head against his shoulder.

"Well she's probably busy."

"But she would usually call me a few times during the day. She's my best friend Lucas. I hate having to worry about her ass like this. You know how hard it is to worry about your best friend?"

Lucas put his book down and stared at her like she was stupid. If it weren't for him, Haley and Brooke would've never been friends. Haley was his best friend first and sometimes, he would feel left out when they hung out. It's like Haley was a toy to them and Brooke was hogging her away.

"I should probably be worrying about her more than you. But I'm used to her being like this," he stated.

"How could you be? She could be out there getting raped and mugged," she cried out, lifting her head off his shoulder.

Lucas smirked. "If you want to, you can call her or a text her right now. I'm sure she's fine. If you didn't know, Haley has a pretty strong personality."

"I will later, I don't want to sound too needy," Brooke replied.

"So did you put in a few bucks into her account?"

"Yeah I just added a hundred dollars. It's not exactly the right amount to pay for her rent, but we're getting there."

"At least we're trying."

* * *

Haley was leaning against the window when Nathan finally reached the curve of his driveway. She had a slightly exhausted expression on her face before she looked up and saw the sight of his house. Her eyes widened at the beauty of the structure. She could tell that this was a modern home. It was solid white with tall glass windows that displayed from the top and bottom floor. The roof was slightly slanted and the light from inside glowed. It had all different kinds of shapes to it that a regular home didn't have. It was so stunning that it was like a piece of art.

"You live here?" she asked as Nathan climbed out of his seat.

"Yeah," he replied as walked up the steps to his front door. Haley couldn't keep her eyes off the house when she stepped out of the car.

"How did you get a house like this?"

"It was custom made for me," he replied, pulling his keys up to the lock. "You've never seen a house like this before?"

"I've seen them in magazines, but not right here in front of my eyes," she replied, walking next to him as he opened the door to the foyer. He entered and started walking somewhere down the hall.

While he disappeared to who knows where, Haley was mesmerizing over the interior of the house. She was standing in the large living area that was decorated with expensive mod art and furniture that could be seen only through a home magazine. Everything was in solid colors. The floor was a dark shade of gray. And the couches and tables were solid white with colorful vases on top.

In the far right corner there was a white staircase with a glass railing that curved up to the top where she could see a balcony. She couldn't really see it, but she saw a bed against the glass railing. And across from the entrance there were tall blinds covering a window to what appeared to be the pool. The blue color of the water glowed against the white solid walls. It was so pretty against the night sky. To the left there was another solid white wall that covered the kitchen and dining area. And beside it was a long hallway where Nathan entered. She stepped closer to peek through the opened entrance to see the rest of the kitchen. The counters and appliances were all black with bright lights peering down from the ceiling. Haley couldn't believe her eyes. It almost seemed too surreal.

"The guest room is down the hall over here," Nathan stated, stepping into the kitchen where Haley was grazing her fingers over the marble counters.

She turned to him and noticed him carrying a folded blanket and pillow. She pulled away from the counter and walked up to him.

"Come on, get some sleep. You have a busy day tomorrow," he stated, giving her the pillow and blanket. He didn't say much after that and led her down the hall way. She followed and glanced at all the photos and rooms that she passed. There was a bathroom and another room that was decorated beautifully. She expected to stay in there but they kept on walking. Then she finally reached the last room at the end.

When she looked inside, it was almost empty. There was just an empty bed with a cover and a table with a lamp next to it. The room was bright white with one artsy picture above the bed and a large window to the pool area.

"This place is small," she stated.

"What did you expect? A master bedroom?" he replied smugly.

Haley furrowed her eyes at him. "I just thought you were going to give me that other room," she said softly.

Nathan chuckled. "That room is off limits. It's for people I really care about."'

"Well that's considerate of you," she replied, annoyed. She walked over to the bed and dropped her stuff on top of it. _At least the bed's comfortable, she thought. _"Oh, I left the clothes Jake bought me at his hotel room," she stated.

"We'll get it tomorrow," he stated as he turned to leave.

"Do you have anything I could wear to bed? I don't want to wear jeans."

"I'm giving you a paying job and a place to stay," he stated, looking back at her. "I didn't agree to cater you."

"Well I'm cleaning after you!" she retorted.

"Just go to bed. I'm tired," he said. "We'll talk more business in the morning."

"Fine," she snapped as she unfolded the blanket.

"And also, since you start work today, you have to cook me breakfast. I like my eggs on the sunny side. So wake up at 6 am."

Haley stopped fixing her bed and stared at him. "I'm waking up at what time?"

"Didn't you hear me? I said 6 a. m."

"I have to wake up at 6 a.m. to cook you breakfast? I don't usually wake up at that time."

"Working people wake up early, and I have to get to work at seven thirty tomorrow," he said as he started to walk out. "So don't be late," he continued before he closed the door on her.

Haley scowled at the door and threw her pillow at it. She groaned as she stomped after it and jumped back into her bed and shouted into the pillow. After a few more screams, she grabbed her phone from her purse and dialed Brooke's number.

She rolled on her back when she heard the phone ring a few more times and stared at the sparkly ceiling.

"Haley?"

"Hey, what are you doing?" Haley asked.

"I was about to go to bed, but now that you called, I'm fully awake."

"Well good because I have some good news and bad news. So what do you want first?"

"I guess the good news."

"I found a job."

"NO WAY! No wonder you haven't been calling me lately. What job is it?"

"It's kind of complicated. . . ." Haley stated. "Actually it's not that complicated."

"Is this where the bad news comes in?"

"Kind of. "

"Spill it!"

"I met a guy here and –"

"Stop it right there. Don't tell me you actually resorted to –"

"Brooke, don't finish that sentence. I would never in my life do that to get cash."

"Okay, continue with your story then."

"Long story short. I was trying to get paparazzi pictures of him and Rachel Gatina so that I could a $5,000 reward. But he caught me in the act and he made me promise to never publish the pictures. I threatened to release them if he didn't give me anything in return, so I asked him for a job and he gave me one. Not at the hotel, but as his personal assistant, which is practically a maid in this case, but he's paying me on the spot so that's pretty good." she stated without a breath.

"Wow."

"Yeah, I know. There's actually more to the story, but I'll just leave it at that."

"So you're working as this man's maid? I thought you only wanted to work in photography."

"I do, but this is different. At least I'm working for my money like I want to. I'm actually in his house right now. He offered to let me stay here since I'm being his slave and hiding his secret."

"So you know who Rachel Gatina is dating? I can't believe you found out!"

"I know, I'm a little surprised myself, but I can't tell anyone."

"Is he cute?" Brooke asked.

Haley made a confused face and sat up on her bed. "What?"

"Is this rich man cute?"

"Brooke, what does that have to do with anything?"

"I'm just asking. You're living in the same house as this guy and you easily accepted it, so he's probably cute."

Haley groaned and slide back into bed. "I just called to tell you that," she stated, quickly changing the subject. I have to wake up at 6, so bye Brooke."

"Haley!"

"Bye!" she slowly hung up her phone and shoved it back into her purse.

_Is he cute? I can't believe she asked me that. He's a jerk with a snobby attitude. He's not that cute!_

_

* * *

_

The next morning, Nathan woke up bright and early around six and started getting ready for work. He walked into his closet to grab his suit for the day and placed it on his bed. Then he opened his bathroom and started his shower. While he waited for the water to get hot, he stepped out of his bed room to see if Haley was awake already.

He went down stairs expecting to smell breakfast, but there was nothing. Not even one little bit of noise came from the kitchen.

"Where the hell is that girl?" he thought, peeking around the kitchen. He stepped out of the kitchen and started walking down the hallway. He could hear a weird airy sound coming from the guest room. He tilted his head in curiosity and opened the door.

And there she was, lying flat on her stomach with her arms and legs sprawled out on the bed. One leg was on top of a pillow while the comforter covered a part of her back and other leg.

Nathan started shaking his head and walked closer to her. He stood over her and looked down at her sleeping self. Her snores were so loud that he didn't think she was even human. So he kneed her mattress to wake her up.

"Hey rascal!" he shouted. Haley moved a little bit and turned her head the other way. "It's six o'clock! You have to cook me breakfast!" he yelled again.

"It's too early," she mumbled.

"Get up or I'm not paying you!"

"Why are you such a jerk!" she replied, turning her face again and opened one eye to look at him.

He leaned in closer and whispered, "Because you're black mailing me." Haley groaned and placed her face into the pillow. "Now hurry up and make me breakfast! I'm going to take a shower." He patted her back and walked out of the room.

Haley slowly pulled her legs up to her chest and lazily sat up from her pillow. Opening her eyes at this time wasn't the easiest task for her. Usually noon was her time to wake up. When she worked for Kirk, he allowed her to come to work at twelve. It was probably one the only things she liked about working for him. But that was job was over with. Now she had to follow the rules to her new job: slave.

Haley didn't get enough sleep last night because she was too busy trying to collect her thoughts about the last few days. Who knew she would end up staying in a place like this Charlotte. It was unreal. Things like this don't happen too often to people. And she was afraid that if she fell asleep, it would all fade to back to reality.

She brushed her hair out of her face and sluggishly climbed out of the bed. She started walking down the hall and immediately heard Nathan's shower running. At the same time, she heard hip hop music blaring from his room. While turning the corner to the kitchen she noticed a picture of Nathan, Rachel, and Jake on the wall.

_Hmph. I still can't believe Rachel chose Nathan to be her boyfriend. He's such a jerk! _Haley thought as she glanced at Nathan who was laughing in the picture. Then she turned to Rachel who was sitting in the middle of them while she sipped from a juicebox. _Lucky you. You get to be friends with two wealthy men. They probably give you nice things. Living in a place like this, I wouldn't be surprised to see what kind of gifts he's given you. _She sighed and entered the kitchen to open the fridge. As she did that, she realized that his fridge was packed with food.

"Why does he have so much food?" she mumbled as she grabbed the carton of eggs. "He lives alone." She grabbed the milk and then grabbed the package of bacon from the freezer. After placing the food on the counter, she started searching through the cabinets for the pans. Curiosity filled her mind when she noticed how neat everything was. He was obviously a neat freak and it kind of annoyed her a little bit. All she wanted to do was move everything around to make him angry, but instead, left it alone when she found the pans. And she began to cook him breakfast.

Once Nathan finished getting ready, he went downstairs and smelled the delicious aroma of breakfast food. He wasn't expecting what he saw when he reached the kitchen. The place was a mess. There was pancake batter scattered across his marble counters. Egg shells were on the ground and an open egg carton was lying next to the sink. She didn't even take the time to put the pans into the dish washer.

"What the hell? Did a tornado pass by?" he asked, stepping around the counter. Haley looked over at him as she finished preparing his plate on the dining table.

"Huh?"

"You destroyed my kitchen," he stated angrily.

Haley observed her mess and shrugged her shoulders. "Don't worry about it, boss. I'll clean it up," she stated. She grabbed the container of juice and poured him a glass. "Anyways, I made you breakfast."

He walked up to the plate and was pretty impressed at the sight of it. She made him a stack of pancakes with bacon and two sunny side eggs like he wanted. He took a seat at the table but hesitated to take a bite of the food.

"I'm kind of afraid to eat it," he stated.

"Why? You think I poisoned it?" He took a moment to look at her. "Well, I didn't. Why would I try to sabotage your food when you're the one who's paying me?"

"I don't know you that well so I'm not so sure."

"Just eat the food. I'm a good cook."

"I better hope so." He cut a fork full of his pancake and ate it. He was shocked that it was actually incredibly delicious. His taste buds even tickled from the new taste in his mouth. It was different, almost better than the pancakes his mother used to make him.

"You like it?" she asked with a bright smile. He noticed the anticipation on her face and laughed inside. But she seemed a little too confident with her work, so he decided not to boost her ego.

"It's not that bad," he lied.

"Not that bad?" she whined. "Everyone tells me that I make the best pancakes."

"They aren't the best."

"You're a liar," she retorted. "You like it and you know it."

"Aren't you a little high on yourself?" he asked as he continued to eat his breakfast. "Go clean up the kitchen. It's a mess." Haley pretended to punch but pulled back and turned away.

"Where are your cleaning supplies?"

"Under the sink, and the broom is in the closet."

Haley dragged her feet to the closet and pulled out the broom. As she was sweeping the floor and picking up the egg shells, she glanced at Nathan sitting at the table.

_It must be lonely for him to live in this extraordinary house like this by himself. If I lived here, I'd ask Brooke and Lucas to join me. It's waste to live here alone. _She looked around the kitchen again and grew amazed every time she looked at it. _I still can't believe this is his._

"Well, I'm off to work. This place better be spotless when I come back," he said, leaving his plate of food on the table. Haley stopped sweeping and snapped at him when she noticed it.

"You're not going to put that away?"

"That's your job."

"You could at least put it in the sink."

"Why?"

"Because – ," she paused. "Y-you ate off of it."

"How are you going to get paid if you don't clean anything? I left it there on purpose. So clean up. You have a job to do," he answered as neared the open entrance of the kitchen.

Haley glared at his back as she continued to sweep the floors.

"I also left my bed unmade and my laundry is in my closet. Oh and the floors need to be mopped," he added before he walked out of the kitchen. Haley stuck her tongue out at him and wiped the pancake batter off the counter. Then she remembered something and jogged after him.

"What about the clothes Jake bought me?" she questioned as she saw the front door slam shut. He probably didn't even hear her so she walked back into the kitchen, depressed. She truly didn't want to work, but she was getting paid to stay in this house.

_This has to be worth it. It just has to be._

_

* * *

_

The first thing that Jake thought about when he woke up the next day was Haley. He wanted to know if she was fine or if she was even still in the hotel. So he rushed downstairs after his shower to check on her in the lobby. When he arrived to the spot where they last hung out, he saw the wrinkled newspaper filled with circled jobs. And beside it was his phone number. He immediately grew curious. He paced back to the elevator to meet up with Nathan at the office.

As Jake was going up the hotel, Rachel was going down and entered the lobby. She was dressed in her casual attire with her bag and a pair of glasses in hand. She was a little upset that Nathan never called her about what happened to the paparazzi. Obviously, she wanted to know about it. She wasn't the only who didn't know about the rumors. It was certain that Nathan was the man that people were speculating and she definitely didn't want to put Nathan in spotlight like that. His personal life was never meant to be put out into the public especially when none of the rumors were true. Well from her side at least.

Walking beside her was her assistant, holding a little booklet filled with many events for the day and week. The woman, Nancy, opened the book to check on the first thing on her schedule.

"You have a scene to do around nine so you need to get into hair and make up," she stated. "So come on, Rachel. We don't want to be late."

"Am I clear for lunch?" she asked as they started walking to the entrance. The security guards were already getting ready for her exit. It was impossible that people would still want to see her bright and early in the morning. It's not like she was putting on a show for them.

Her assistant pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose and glanced back at the booklet. "You have about an hour to spare between noon and three."

"Okay, thank you," Rachel replied.

"So how are you going to take care of the paparazzi from last night?" Nancy asked.

Nancy had been her assistant for most of her career, so she was practically her sister. She knew about the facts and rumors about Rachel because she told Nancy everything. And she didn't hesitate to tell her about what happened with Nathan and about the paparazzi girl from last night.

"I don't really know. It looked like Nathan took care of it, but he never even called me back," Rachel answered sadly. "I wish he did though. After what I told him, I'm starting to feel guilty."

"You were just being honest with him, love. He had to know."

"For the millionth time. I would hate it if someone rejected me over and over again."

"I doubt that would happen to you," Nancy stated as the security guards surrounded him and escorted her to her car.

"That couldn't be any more true." They both laughed as they climbed into the backseat of the car.

* * *

Nathan was writing up a new document when Emily announced that he had a phone call from his father. He immediately stopped what he was doing and answered the phone.

"Hello?"

"Hey, Nathan!"

"Hey dad, how's Europe?"

"It's great. Negotiations with the land owners are starting to get better. Before, they didn't think it was even a good idea to put a hotel like ours near their fancy restaurants."

"Who are they kidding? Our hotel is just as fancy as theirs," Nathan replied as he grabbed one of his folders to look at. He heard his dad chuckle on the other line and continued to speak.

"I called to say that since everything is starting up well, I need you to come here to help."

"What? Now?"

"No, not now. In the coming months, I'll need you to help with management for about year. It will only be the best to have both heads of the company at the new hotel/resorts in Europe. It will make things easier on us. And your mother can take care of the work over there."

"You think mom can handle that? She already misses you, dad. She'll be even more upset when I'm gone."

"It will only be a year, Nathan. Just a year. That's all the time we need until we can find a well-trained manager to take care of the resorts over here."

Nathan let out a hard sigh and glanced at the photo of his family. It was of his mom and dad at his college graduation. She looked so happy in there. He's hardly seen her smile lately and it would be a shame to leave her that way.

"I'll think about it," Nathan stated.

"You'll think about it? I_ need_ you to be here, Nate."

"Dad, I said I'll think about it. I have some work to do, so I'll call you later."

"Alright, I'll talk to you soon."

Nathan said his goodbye and hung up his phone. His father was always demanding when it came to work. It was practically the one thing that he cared about most. Nothing else seemed to matter to Dan even if he did have a wife and son who completely adored him. When Nathan was growing up, his father was always busy at meetings and working nights with his grandfather. He even missed his junior league games to go on trips across the country. But his mother took it harder than Nathan. It wasn't fun to have the person you love running around the whole world for months without seeing his face or hearing his voice. Nathan even remembered the day she compared her relationship with Dan to a divorced couple.

When Nathan pulled away from his thoughts and continued with his work, his door opened, revealing a concerned Jake.

"Did you kick her out?" he quickly asked.

Nathan looked at him confused and continued typing. "Good morning to you too."

Jake walked closer to his desk and stood in front of him with his arms crossed. "Well, did you?"

"What the hell are you talking about?"

"I'm talking about Haley. Did you hate her so much that you had to kick her out? You know that she has no other place to stay."

Nathan stopped working and leaned back in his chair with a small smirk on his face. The thought of Haley being his slave was pretty funny. And it was quite amusing to see Jake all concerned over a girl he just met a few days ago.

"I didn't kick her out."

"Then where is she?"

"She's working. I gave her a job last night. She was pretty excited about it."

Jake was shocked and relieved at the same time. "You gave her a job. I can't believe it. I thought you hated the girl. What floor is she working on right now?"

Nathan chuckled as he leaned forward on desk. "She's not working here. She's at my house mopping the floors."

"Huh?"

"You know those rumors about Rachel and her hotel beaux?" Jake nodded his head and Nathan continued. "I caught her taking pictures of us last night. She was going to release them to the press . I tried to take the memory card from her, but instead she wanted to negotiate. She wanted a job where I could pay her on the spot while she kept the pictures away from the public.

Jake laughed as he took a seat in front of his desk. "She's something," he smiled.

"Yeah, so now she's working as my personal maid and living in my guest room."

"You're letting her live with you. How could you let someone you don't even like live under the same roof as you?"

"Cause she's cleaning my room and doing my laundry," Nathan laughed.

"You're the devil."

"No, she's the devil for blackmailing me. I just gave her a job."

* * *

After Haley finished mopping the bottom floor, she headed upstairs to grab Nathan's laundry basket. She was afraid to touch anything because everything in the house looked fragile. Once she entered his room, she spotted the bed against the glass balcony. It had a white cover with a thick black comforter. And it was all messed up and out of place. She groaned and shook her head. Then she looked around his room for his closet and noticed all the different portraits on his wall. She walked up to them and found more pictures of him and Rachel. Some were from a long time ago, because Rachel didn't look like herself. He had a few pictures of Jake also during their basketball days. They were both wearing different colored jerseys. It was obvious that they didn't go to the same school.

Then she turned away and found an empty fish tank by the window. Haley looked at it and noticed all the fake coral and gray rocks inside.

_He has a fish tank but no fish. What's the point of having it?_ She leaned forward and found a box of fish food against it and grew confused. _Ahh, I see now. They all probably died. I'm not surprised; he doesn't look like someone who could take responsibility for another life other than himself. _She walked from the fish tank and found his sliding closet.

Once she opened the door, she spotted his large basket of clothes in the corner. Above it, hung all types of ties, suits, button up shirts, polos and pants. She was stunned to see how fashionable the man was. And they were all from expensive labels. She quickly kneeled down to grab the basket and found dozens of spotless shoes and sneakers.

_Damn! Can this guy have any more clothes and shoes? He has a whole shopping department. _

She carefully held the large basket in her arms and slowly carried them down the steel stairs. As she was walking down one step at a time, the house phone began to ring and she tripped a little bit over her shoe laces. And the whole basket of clothes dropped all over the stair case.

"Damn it!" she cried out. The phone began to ring more and more. So she avoided to pick up the mess and hurried towards the ringing sound. When she finally grabbed it, the person had already hung up. She sighed and wiped her brow. "Why is this house so huge?"' she looked up at the high ceilings. "At least I don't have to dust that!"

She pulled away from the phone and quickly picked up the clothes. Once she reached the laundry room, she started separating the lights and the darks. He had a ton of button up shirts and slacks. And then she picked up one of his briefs and quickly dropped it.

"Oh my God! Am I really doing this?" she asked herself as she pushed the black underwear away with her foot. She did the same thing with the rest of his underwear and grabbed a pair of gloves to put them in the washer.

And it took her all afternoon to finish all her chores. She cleaned every surface, vacuumed every room, swept and mopped every floor, and she even took the trash out. But she took breaks in between by watching movies on the big screen TV.

* * *

Nathan finished working on a few documents for the day and sat back in his seat, relieved. There was so much in his mind that he didn't want to leave his office. He was still a little hurt by what Rachel said. It wasn't easy taking rejection especially for him. She was actually the only person that he's ever thought of being with. It was like a dagger through the chest when she said no.

As he was gathering all the things on his desk, ready to leave, his door opened. He looked up and noticed the red head slowly taking a few steps inside. His heart stopped for a second.

"Hi," she greeted.

"Hey," he replied, placing his notes into their folders.

"You haven't spoken to me all day. I'm kind of upset."

_You're upset? You're the one who broke my heart. _"I've been busy," he said.

Rachel walked closer to his desk and folded her arms across her chest when she noticed that he was avoiding her.

"You never told me about what happened to that paparazzi girl."

"I took care of it," he answered as he stood up from his chair.

"You did?" she asked, relieved. "What did you do?"

"I just took care of it. You don't have to worry about rumors or pictures on the internet any time soon," he explained, standing in front of her.

"Are you mad at me?"

Nathan looked at her and tilted his head. "No," he lied.

"I know that dinner last night wasn't what you expected. But Nathan, you can't keep expecting something from me. "

"Hey," he began with a smile. "I'm over it. You don't have to worry about me either, okay?"

Rachel nodded, accepting his answer and smiled. "So do you have time to spare?"

"I'm actually done with work."

"Then let's have a small dinner together."

Nathan took a second to think about it. Haley was home working her ass of to get paid on the spot and he wasn't sure if she should watch over her or not. But this was Rachel, and she wasn't going to be here that long so he might as well see her as much as he could.

He was hesitant to answer, but quickly got over it and said, "sure".

"Yes, I was thinking about Chinese," she suggested as they started walking out of his office together.

* * *

Later in the night, Haley was sprawled out on the couch, waiting and waiting for Nathan to come home so she can get her payment. She wasn't going to do this longer if he wasn't going to follow through with his agreement. She spent the whole day cleaning his disgusting laundry, and dusting all that she could dust. She even dominated his fridge because she was so hungry. And it was now practically half empty.

"When are you coming home, jerk face? I want my money or I'll post those pictures up on the internet!" she mumbled while tossing a small ball in the air. As she continued lying on the couch, she heard keys wiggling through the lock. She quickly sat up on the couch and waited for Nathan to walk in.

Once he did, Haley automatically marched up to him with her hand stretched out. He looked at her confused and glanced at her palm.

"What are you doing?"

"I'm waiting for my money. You have to pay me on the spot, remember?" she stated, determined.

Nathan smoothed his hair back and glanced at his watch. It was eleven o' clock. He was hoping that she would be asleep by this time.

"Can I pay you in the morning?"

"No, this was our deal. You have to pay me right after I work while I keep your secret," she demanded.

"You never quit, do you?"

"I have a purpose and we agreed, so follow through!

Nathan groaned and walked past her. He looked around the living room and noticed corners that she forgot to sweep and surfaces she forgot to clean. It wasn't that impressive and it wasn't what he wanted.

"So how much are you paying me every day?" she asked as he began walking up the stairs. She followed.

"Twenty," he answered.

"Twenty? What about a hundred?"

"No," he answered.

"Ninety?"

"Twenty."

"Fifty or I'm posting the pictures"

Nathan quickly turned around and glared at her. "Fine, fifty a day. That's it."

"What about fifty five?" Nathan shot her a look and she frowned. "Okay," she answered as the followed him into his room.

Nathan removed his suit jacket and placed it on his bed. Then he removed his watch and placed it on his side table. As he was doing that, he realized that Haley was still standing his room.

"What are you doing?"

"Waiting for my fifty bucks," she answered, laying her hand out.

He looked at her curiously and couldn't help but laugh inside. It seemed as if nothing could break her down. When she was determined, she was determined. He could tell that she never backed out of a promise.

"Alright," he answered as he pulled out his wallet from his pocket and handed her the fifty dollars.

"Thank you!" she smiled happily, giddy by the sight of money. "It's so good to have money in my hands."

"That's what all thieves say," he stated, unbuttoning his shirt.

Haley stuffed the money in her pocket and scowled at him. But then it softened when she noticed him removing his shirt, revealing his well-toned arms and back. And her pulse began to speed up. She never expected that body coming from a man like him. He was definitely not a slacker.

"Um, d-did you get my clothes from Jake?" she asked, nervously.

Nathan placed his shirt over his suit and nodded. "Yeah, it's in my car. I'll get it after I change," he answered. He turned to her and noticed that she was still standing there. "So leave," he ordered.

Haley nodded and headed downstairs, still stunned by the sight of his chiseled body. She wasn't going to lie to herself and say that he wasn't good looking. Nathan Scott was definitely good looking but he had the oddest personality. He was bitter, cold and mean. The worst qualities she could ever find in a man.

Once Nathan finished dressing up for the night in a shirt and basketball shorts, he grabbed her clothes and gave it to Haley. She wore another tank top and a pair of striped shorts. And he immediately went to bed as did Haley, but she couldn't sleep again. She was still trying to get used to his house and the situation.

_**The story is just getting started! What did you think of this chapter? Keep me inspired :)**_


	5. Lie 5

**A/N:** Oh my! I love all of your long and wonderful replies. It really makes me happy and proud of my work. If it weren't for your supportive words, I wouldn't be able to continue the story! You all keep me motivated. I absolutely love love/hate relationships as well. They are so fun to write. Christina - I get so excited when I see your reviews because they always make me smile which makes you one of my heroes as well as 23bNrAuLcEaYs and all of my other readers. It's so good to hear how much you like my stories. It really is a great compliment, my love. and oh My Sister's Keeper was a good movie, again, I'm glad my story could make you laugh to balance out everything for you. Kate - Your post has greatly motivated me to continue on with this story. I absolutely love how you described "Haley" in my story. It's exactly what I was going for and I'm so glad you got that. It is very encouraging to hear words like "addicting, rare and enchanting." It's such a good feeling inside to read such kind words from all of my readers because it keeps me from giving up on writing. I also like to say that I'm glad that you like Jake in my story! It's hard to truly write a funny story and make people laugh, smile, or giggle. So glad to know that I'm not doing such a bad job at that. hehe. Thank you again! I hope you enjoy the next lengthy chapter! MUAH!

-Annie

**Chapter 5 "Lie 5"**

It had been a few more days of the same routine. Nathan went to work while she cleaned the house and cooked his breakfast. They never talked about anything other than payment because Haley was supposed to butt out of his personal life. And every day, she noticed that Nathan never came home with a smile. He always looked exhausted and upset. She would've thought that he would be happy with a girlfriend like Rachel Gatina, but he wasn't. And she grew curious.

She didn't even get to see Jake since the last time she saw him. Sometimes being a maid prohibited you from leaving the house. And she had to admit, she kind of missed him.

As she was setting up Nathan's breakfast, she saw him drag himself to the kitchen with the same serious face he had every day. She didn't say a word to him and walked back to the sink to wash the pans. As he sat there quietly, in a regular blue button up shirt and slacks instead of a suit, she watched him carefully. She wanted to talk to him so bad – about his life and his issues. But that would be crossing the line since she wasn't supposed to do that.

"What's wrong with you?" she asked without thought.

She glanced at his back, hoping for an answer. "Nothing," he said as he bit the food off his fork.

"You look like you've been beaten up every time you come home from work. There's got to be something wrong."

"We're not supposed to be talking about our personal lives, remember? I'm your boss and you're my employee. That's it."

"But can we at least talk about stuff," she begged. "It gets kind of lonely cleaning and living in this house without someone to talk to."

"Call one of your friends," he said.

"They live four hours away. It's not the same," she whined as she turned off the faucet.

"You wouldn't have gotten yourself into this situation if you didn't waste your gas driving all the way here."

Haley scoffed and threw the rag that she was wiping her hands with on the counter. "Excuse me for trying to be your friend!"

He stopped eating his breakfast and stood up from his chair. "I don't need a friend, okay. I have enough of them," he answered. He pushed his chair into the table roughly and thought about Rachel. She was just a friend and she only wanted to be friends. And it was frustrating for him to like someone for so long and not get any ounce of the same feelings in return.

"Well aren't you Mr. Popularity!"

"I don't even want you to be my friend anyways," he stated, looking at her. "Who would want a conniving, immature girl who black mails you as their friend? I sure as hell don't."

"You know, if you weren't such a jack ass then people would actually like you. You live in this massive house by yourself and I don't see any of your so called friends visiting you," she retorted.

"It's because I'm always working at my office."

"Then stop working!"

"Stop being such a bitch!"

Her eyes widened and glared at him. "If you weren't paying me, I'd walk right out of here and post those pictures on the internet in a second."

"I'll sue you, if you do," he answered.

"You're such a jerk!" she cried out. Nathan shook his head and stomped out of the kitchen. "JERK! JERK! JERK!" she repeated until she heard the front door slam shut. She jumped from the sound and groaned. She leaned over the counter and rested her face in her hands.

Jake was driving around the city with his mom in the passenger seat when he saw Nathan speeding down the high way in the opposite direction. He hadn't seen Nathan drive like that in a long time.

"Was that Nathan?" his mom asked.

He turned to her and found himself looking at his own reflection from her sunglasses.

"I think so," he answered.

"He seems angry."

"Just a little bit," he answered dryly. Jake glanced back at his rear view mirror to see what direction Nathan was turning to and it certainly wasn't to the hotel. He knew exactly where he was going and he was going to follow him soon after he dropped his mom off at the hotel.

"I'm so excited for my wedding, honey," his mom exclaimed as she glanced at the huge rock on her ring finger.

"I know, I'm happy for you ,mom," he smiled as he switched lanes. "So Billy is okay with the wedding being at the Regalien instead of Hawaii?"

"Oh of course! It would be more expensive if it was in Hawaii. Everyone would have to buy a ticket and that would just make everything more complicated. Luckily, you'r Aunt Deb owns a hotel here in North Carolina."

"That's true. So when do you think would be a good date?"

"I was thinking next month."

"Next month? Isn't that a little sudden?"

"Well I'm not getting any younger and I'm not going to spend a whole year trying to plan my wedding like a twenty year old would. Besides, I've been dating Billy for years. I don't think it's sudden at all. I want to get married as soon as possible."

Jake laughed. "I see your point. You and Billy are practically married anyways. You just need to show people that it's actually official."

"Exactly," she said. "Since I'm planning on exchanging my vows next month, you should start looking for a date."

"Ha, that's not going to be hard."

"Jake," his mother began as she stared at him seriously. "I don't want you bringing one of your trampy women to my wedding. I want you to find a sweet and conservative girl."

"My women aren't trampy," Jake smirked.

"Are you kidding me? Didn't you bring a tattooed woman to one our family dinners last month? What was her name? Cuntlin?"

"Caitlin," Jake corrected as he looked at his mother stunned. "And I can't believe you said that," he laughed.

His mother smiled as she twirled her engagement finger. "Well she was," she stated.

"You've been watching too much television," he stated. "But I think I already know who I might bring to your wedding." He quickly thought about Haley. He still couldn't get her off his mind. It had been days since they last saw each other and he really wanted to see her again.

"She better not be a slut," his mother stated.

"She won't," he answered.

* * *

"Can we sell your furniture if you don't pay your rent in time?" Brooke asked over the phone while Haley dusted one of Nathan's artsy vases.

"Sell my furniture? No way! I'll be there in time to pay for my rent or at least some of it."

"How much have you made so far?"

"Two fifty. He's been paying me fifty a day."

"That's hardly enough, Haley," Brooke replied.

She lifted a picture frame from the counter and dusted underneath it. "Well it's still money."

"You think you can pay for your rent with that kind of salary? You should ask him to increase it a little bit."

"I can't," Haley replied, sliding across the squeaky floor in her socks. "He's being such a dick lately. I doubt he'd give me a raise."

"Sounds like Kirk all over again," Brooke replied.

"I think he's worse than Kirk."

"You should try to be nice to him or seduce him. I'm sure if he likes you he'll happily offer you big enough amount to help pay for your rent."

"That's prostitution."

"Not exactly."

"Even if it did work, I wouldn't do it. He's the last person I'd want to seduce. Besides, he already has a girlfriend. Remember?"

"Oh I forgot that he was dating Rachel."

"Yeah."

"He probably talks about her all the time, right? I heard that she was a gold digger. She's probably only dating him for the money."

"We hardly talk about anything. It's part of our agreement. Our relationship is strictly business. And I doubt it. They've been friends for years."

"Why is she so lucky?"

While Haley was dusting the tables, she heard a knock on the door. "I don't know, but I'll talk to you later. Someone's at the door."

"Okay, keep me updated."

"Will do," she said and closed her phone. She slid across the floor to the door like she was skating and looked through the peep hole. By surprise, she saw none other than Jake standing there.

"Oh my gosh," she whispered to herself. Her hair was a mess and she had an apron wrapped around her waist. It definitely didn't look very attractive. So she quickly fixed herself up before opening the door. She untied her hair and removed the apron. She even licked the smear mascara from the corner of her eye. Once she was finally done fixing herself, she swung the door open.

"Hey Jake," she greeted.

"Wow," he replied looking at the duster in her hand. "He wasn't kidding about hiring you as his maid."

"Oh, well," she began, hiding the duster behind her. "I needed the job."

"And you resorted to this?"

"It's the only one I could take."

Jake stepped inside as she closed the door behind him. He walked to the living room and sat on one of the couches.

"I thought you were going to take the one over at the studio," he stated.

"Well, I was until I –"she began and thought about how she got here and stopped.

Jake looked at her with a smirk on his face. He could tell that she was hesitant about telling him the truth. He thought it was cute to see her all flustered and uncomfortable.

"Don't worry about it, Nathan told me everything," he stated.

"He did?"

"Yeah," he nodded.

"Do you hate me now?" she asked, ashamed.

"Hate you? Yeah right. You're too nice to hate," he replied, looking around to see how well she cleaned the place.

"It wasn't something that I'd do. It was stupid of me to even think about black mailing him," she rambled on.

"Hey, at least you found a job."

"Yeah," she replied. Haley was glad that Jake didn't hate her. He was Nathan's cousin and she thought that since they were close, he would despise her for putting Nathan in a bad situation. But luckily he didn't. He was actually very different from Nathan. He was kind and generous. He didn't even try to bicker with her once and she liked that.

"It looks like you've been doing a good job, I see," he stated, looking down at her dirty socks. He laughed. "Are you sweeping the floor with those?"

She glanced down and lifted one leg up to see the bottom of her foot. "Oh," she smiled. "I thought it would be easier to dust the floor with my feet at the same time as dusting the tables. It's genius, right?"

He chuckled and leaned forward on his knees, and rested his chin on his palm. "Sure. If you say so."

"Ah you suck!" she smiled. "It works for me." She slid across the floor and dusted one of the picture frames on the wall. From the short time of knowing Haley, Jake couldn't help but find her intriguing. She was full of life and heart that he couldn't seem to keep himself away. She was the reason why he decided to go to Nathan's house instead of following Nathan like he planned.

"So how do you like the place?" he asked.

"I don't like the place. I love it!"

"I designed it," Jake admitted as he watched her expression change.

"No! You're lying to me!"

He laughed. "I'm not. I seriously designed this house for Nathan. I majored in architecture and studied abroad for a while."

"So this is practically your house?" Jake nodded. "How could you let your dumbass cousin stay in this piece of art? He doesn't deserve it."

"I'm just a nice cousin."

"Have you designed any other houses like this?"

"I have some drawn out, but this was the only one that was actually built. Nathan paid me every cent for it and I'm not complaining."

"Well then you know what? Once I gain enough money to buy my very own home, I'm going to ask you to draw it out for me. So that means we have to be friends for a long time, okay?" she suggested.

"Okay," he responded. He watched as Haley continued dusting and sweeping the house with her socks and couldn't help but admire her beauty. Haley wasn't just a pretty face, she actually had a personality. Jake didn't find that too often with the girls he's been associated with. Rachel didn't even have the seemingly adorable quality either. And being friends with her for a long time didn't sound so bad. As long as he could see her more often, that would make him happy.

* * *

Nathan quietly watched the fishes swim around inside the tank as he thought about everything that had been. The aquarium was one of the places that he loved to visit when life got hard. It helped him calm down from life's hard punches. When he was younger, his mother would always bring him to visit the dolphins when he was having a rough day. And it became a tradition to visit the aquarium when he wanted to find peace.

He wanted things to get better. There had to be a way for him to accept his relationship with Rachel, but it wasn't easy to get over a crush in a second. If only he was more like Jake – someone who could go from one girl to another without being so attached to them. But he wasn't like that and he didn't think he'd ever be.

He even thought about his argument with Haley earlier. He realized that he was a little harsh on her before he walked out. Opening up to people wasn't a very easy task for Nathan. The only people he could actually open up to was Jake, Rachel, and his mom. No one else seemed to be good enough to get into his head.

After staying at the aquarium for hours and finding some peace, he decided to head back home. He was still a bit frustrated and stressed, but he wasn't as angry as before. Once he finally made it home, he noticed Jake's car in his drive way and he grew curious. He climbed out of his car and heard music blaring through the windows. When he opened the door, he found Jake and Haley dancing in the middle of the living like a bunch of hooligans.

"What hell is going on here?" Nathan asked, frustrated.

As soon as Haley and Jake heard Nathan, she quickly ran to turn off the radio. He didn't look any different from this morning when he slammed the door on her.

"We're just dancing, man," Jake stated.

"I didn't say you could have a dance party in my house, Haley," Nathan griped.

"I finished cleaning everything. Jake even helped me," Haley replied. "And we wanted to celebrate."

"Celebrate what? A clean house?" he asked, stepping aside to run his finger against a table. "This isn't clean."

"Could you be realistic here? That's just a little bit of dust. It's not going to cause any harm."

"Well I want it spotless! I am paying you to clean my house and instead you're dancing with my cousin in my living room. If you wanted to work hard for your money, why don't you try growing up and stop trying to be friends with everyone like a little whore!" he yelled.

That last line hit her hard. She never thought she could hate someone so much at this moment. Jake even thought it was pretty harsh of him to say that to her. She definitely didn't deserve it. Haley was only celebrating after a long day of cleaning. There was no harm in that, but Nathan seemed to think it was the worst thing a person could possibly do.

Haley could feel her chest tighten, and her heart rip apart. And tears were slowly making their way to the rims of her eyes. She always tried not to cry in front of people because it only showed weakness. She's actually perfecting that school. It's been years since she's shown her weak side to people. And she sure as hell wasn't going to start now. So she walked away to the guest room and slammed the door shut.

While Nathan walked over to the couch, he placed his face in his hands. Jake walked over to him and stared at him in disappointment.

"Why the hell did you say that to her?"

"I don't even know," he mumbled through his hands.

"She didn't deserve that. She worked her ass off all day cleaning this house. All she wanted was to have a good time and loosen up."

"You can spare me the lecture, Jake."

"Listen up! Instead of taking your money she's working for it. And at the same time she's keeping your little precious pictures away from the public. She's doing you a favor, Nathan, and you're scolding her for having a good time?"

Jake definitely had a point going there and it made Nathan feel guilty for being so harsh on her again. He couldn't help it. He wanted to so much to yell at Rachel for all the pain and heartache she's caused him, but instead he took it out on Haley – someone he knew wouldn't take his insults so hard. He could never yell at Rachel like he yelled at Haley because of how precious and fragile she was to him. And it was shameful to think Haley wasn't precious or fragile like Rachel was. She was still human and she was still a girl.

In her room, Haley started grabbing all of her belongings – not like she had much – and stuffed them into the boutique bag from the store. She was becoming more and more miserable in the house. Her best friends were four hours away, she was on the verge of eviction, she didn't have anyone to talk to in the house, and when she does have a friend around she gets scolded for it. Plus she's living in a house with a man who hates her guts, yells at her, argues and ignores her everyday. All she wanted to do was leave and get out of there.

"I hate him! Why am I even here?" she cried out as she shoved everything into the bag and sat on the edge of her bed. But then she thought about the money. She couldn't just leave now. She was almost there. Wiping her watery eyes, she breathed in and out. "I'm just going to have to deal with him," she stated. She flopped backwards on her bed and glanced at her ceiling. "Mom, these are the days when I need you. I need you here to comfort me," she whispered.

Ever since the death of her mother, she had to stay strong when times were rough. When she was younger she had to remember and realize that no matter how many times she fell on the ground and scraped her knees, her mother was never going to come running by to heal her wounds. So the tears never came. She had to stay strong. But she wished that her mother was there to help her with her troubles especially when her father was states away.

It was hard dealing with her father when her mother past away. He was miserable and bitter. Sometimes he didn't think Haley existed. He wasn't the same affectionate father he used to be. He couldn't even look Haley in the eyes which made it seem like he hated her. The only way he remembered she existed was when it was her birthday. Other than that, he ignored her and gave her materialistic gifts with no love at all.

* * *

**A couple days later**

"Hey Grandma," Nathan greeted on the phone as he walked down the stairs.

"So are you going to do the blind date thing?"

He groaned at the thought. He completely forgot that his grandmother set him on a blind dating service. It was sweet of his grandmother to think of him, but he wasn't into that type of stuff. And he certainly didn't think he could find the one through a blind date.

"I'm still thinking about it."

"You agreed to do it, Nathan. You can't back out now. There's only going to be six girls and they are all very pretty."

"You're right. I did promise to do it, but I'm not guaranteeing anything."

"Who knows, you just might meet her. You'll be thanking me later," she stated.

Nathan chuckled once he reached the kitchen and glanced at Haley's back by the stove. It had been awkward since the day he yelled at her. She didn't look him in the eye or put up a fight when he ordered her around. And it kind of irritated him. He actually missed bickering with her.

"I'll do it just so you can be happy," he said, taking a seat at the table.

"You promise me?"

"I promise. I have the address, so I'll be there," he smiled. And out of nowhere, Haley practically threw his plate in front of him. He was startled and quickly turned around to look at her, but she was too busy cleaning up her mess. "I'll call you later, k?"

"Okay, bye sweetie."

He hung up and took a quick glance at his food and noticed that instead of his eggs being on the sunny side, it was scrambled. His bacon was overly cooked and his pancakes were waffles. He grew confused and turned around at the sound of the faucet.

"What is this?" he questioned.

Haley refused to look up as she washed a spoon. "It's your breakfast."

"This isn't my breakfast. This is yours," he stated.

"No, I think it's yours," she mumbled as she took a cup and started washing it. "I just twisted it a little bit."

Nathan continued to watch her as she avoided his eyes and quickly grew annoyed by her attitude. But he couldn't blame her. He was nothing but rude to her in the past few days and he wanted to make up for it.

"I'm sorry," he said softly.

"What are you sorry for? For saying that I was a little immature whore?" she replied roughly as she grabbed the dishes and put them in their rightful place.

Nathan sighed and looked down. "I shouldn't have said that. I was–"

"You have some nerve to even complain about your stupid breakfast. Its breakfast for goodness sakes!" she cut in.

"I know –"

"And to think I actually agreed to be your maid is beyond me. You know, I would've posted those pictures up right after you scolded me, but since I'm a very, very nice person, I decided not to," she cut in again.

"That's why I'm –"

"Is it so bad for a person to dance around the living after a long day of working? Is it really that bad? I'm sure it would loosen up your uptight ass if you tried it once in a while," she cut in once more, causing Nathan to smile a little bit at her rant.

So he just sat there, waiting for her to speak again before he could even put one word in. But she didn't say anything else; instead she continued cleaning the counters. And not even once did she take the time to look at him.

"Can I talk now?" he asked, nicely. Haley stopped wiping the counters and slowly glanced at him. She nodded her head causing him to smile a little bit. Even though they didn't get along, he liked it when she looked at him. It made him feel important. "I really am sorry for saying that to you the other night. I wasn't really in the best mood and I took it out on you. I should've just kept my mouth shut. And no, it isn't wrong to dance around after a long day of work. You can do that any time you want to."

She looked at him softly, wanting so much to punch him in the face for what he said, but she couldn't help but forgive him. She gave him a soft grin and continued wiping the counter.

"So do you accept my apology?" he asked.

She shrugged her shoulders. "I don't know. Maybe I will if you buy my ice cream."

"You want ice cream?"

"Mm hmm. If you give me ice cream, I'll forgive you."

"It's still morning," he replied, confused.

"It's never too early to eat ice cream."

Nathan shook his head and turned around to start eating his meal. Even if he never admitted to liking her cooking, he would lick the plate clean. Plus, he'd rather have her cook her special pancakes for him than prepare processed food. He stabbed his fork into the waffle, lifted it up and took a bite. After biting down onto it, he realized that she didn't even bother putting it into the toaster. He spit the piece out and dropped his fork on his plate.

Haley started to laugh when she heard him choke on his food. "Hey boss, are you okay over there?"

"Why didn't you toast the waffles?"

"I was mad at you. You didn't deserve a cooked meal from me."

"You didn't even bother to heat it up."

"I thought frozen food would satisfy a cold man like yourself. "

Nathan downed his glass of orange juice and didn't even attempt to eat the rest of the food on his plate.

"You know what? Ice cream sounds pretty good right now."

"I was hoping you would say that," she smiled, jumping up and down and dropping the rag in the sink. "I'm going to change!" she stated and ran to her room.

It made Nathan feel good to see Haley smile. She was certainly a very different character. He didn't associate with people like her that often since he was surrounded by a serious environment. It was refreshing.

Once Haley got finished getting ready, they both headed out to the nearest ice cream shop. But instead of driving in Nathan's large SUV, he took out his new convertible. It was like a big punch in the face to Haley because she had a convertible of her own, but his looked hundredtimes better.

Once she settled herself inside the new smelling vehicle and headed off to their destination, she was mesmerized by the dashboard and cd changer. Everything was so fancy and equipped with the latest technology.

"Can I turn on the radio?" she asked, slowly reaching over towards it.

"No," he said bluntly. Oblivious to his answer, she pressed it anyways causing music to blast through the speakers, scaring both of them in the process. He quickly turned it off and slammed his palm against his steering wheel. "THE HELL, Haley! I'm on the highway!"

"I didn't know that you had it turned up to the loudest volume possible, Mr. Cranky!" she snapped. She stuck her tongue at him while he kept his eye on the road and then she turned around to look at the neat back seat. There wasn't one single piece of paper or cup in there like there was in her car. The seats were made of black leather and velvet cushions. It was so smooth beneath her fingers. She was so fascinated and jealous at the same time.

This was what she loved most about convertibles – the relaxing breeze against her face while driving down the highway. It was refreshing and comforting which was the reason why she asked for a convertible on her 18th birthday.

While sitting there, bored to death, she unbuckled her seat belt and sat on top of her seat. Nathan noticed her moving and started to panic.

"What are you doing! Get down from there!" he ordered.

She widened her arms like she was trying to grasp the air into an embrace. Her eyes slowly shut and smiled at the feel of the breeze against her cheeks.

"Haley, please get down! I'm going to get in trouble because of you!"

"This is fun! You should try it!"

"You might fall out!" he griped, worried about her safety while he glanced at her at the same as he focused on the road.

"Loosen up a little bit, Your Highness. It's nice to be carefree every once in a while," she replied as she swung her arms up and down, in circles and side to side. "AHHHH!" she yelled.

Again, Nathan continued to panic and searched around for cops, fortunately, there were none in sight. After realizing that ordering her to sit down wasn't working, he decided to deal with it and let her do what she wanted. Looking up at her, he couldn't help but feel happy watching her act like such a child. Although she had a quit witted brain, she also had quite infectious personality. It made him feel good.

As she continued yelling against the wind and circling her arms, she thought about her car and wondered if it was okay. She looked over at Nathan who was driving with one arm over the steering while sporting a nice pair of sunglasses.

"Is my car still at the hotel?" she asked, sliding back down in her chair.

"Your convertible? Yup. It's still there with its fake employee tag hanging on the mirror."

"Oh! I totally forgot about that. That means you have to give me a real one."

"I will eventually," he answered.

"Good because I don't want my car taken away from me," she stated. She had a month and half until she had to pay for her rent and she didn't even reach the half mark yet. It was starting to scare her because she made herself and her friends believe that she could make enough money by then. But things just got out of hand. If only she didn't get caught by Nathan, then maybe she would've already paid her rent with the $5,000 reward.

Nathan could see Haley's expression from the side and noticed that she was in deep thought.

"I have a question for you," he stated. She turned to him in curiosity. "Why do you need money so badly?"

"I thought we weren't supposed to talk about our personal lives?"

"We can make an exception."

She sighed deeply and turned back to the road. "I'm late on my rent," she answered.

"That's it?"

"I also have my bills and student loans to pay for too. And at the same time, I quit my job."

"That was a stupid move of you."

"Honestly, it wasn't. My boss was a jerk," she quickly gave Nathan a death glare. He noticed it and frowned. "He was rude and selfish. He was also incredibly whiney and annoying. I couldn't stand it anymore so I just dropped my things and walked out."

"Am I that way?" he asked. She turned to him and thought about the question.

"Kind of but not really," she answered. "Even though you're a complete asshole, you took me in and gave me a job and a place to stay."

"But it's only because you black mailed me."

"Still, you helped me even though you thought I was swindler," she continued. He took his eyes off the road to glance at her. She definitely had a way to make someone feel good even if she hated his guts.

"When's your rent due, anyways?"

"He gave me two months."

"That's enough time, right?"

"Barely. I still have to pay for everything else."

"I'll raise your daily salary if you want me to."

"No," she refused. "I don't want you to pity me because I'm broke and about to lose my apartment."

"Why do you always do that?"

"Do what?"

"Always refuse to take money from people especially when you know that you're on the verge of being homeless. Come on, I'll give you a raise," he offered as he switched lanes on the high way.

"You'd really do that?"

"I'm doing it because I pity you." She quickly gave him a look and he continued. "And because I don't want you to lose your home."

"I don't know," she mumbled, looking out the window.

"Just take it," he said. "It would be stupid of you not to. Don't think of it as me handing it to you; think of it as your monthly paycheck."

She was stunned. Haley couldn't believe what she was hearing. She could tell that he really wanted to help this time because she could hear the sincerity in his voice. He wasn't giving her money to push her away like he did before. Nathan was actually being kind for once. And it made her glad to know that he actually had a heart.

"I forgive you," she said.

"Huh?"

"I forgive you for calling me an immature little whore," she explained. He couldn't help but chuckle at the way she said it and turned the corner to the ice cream shop.

"Let's get some ice cream," he replied.

* * *

"And cut!" the director called out. Rachel stepped out of the set to grab a drink of water and spotted Jake clapping his hands by the snack table. She looked at him strangely and smiled.

"What are you doing here?"

"I came in to check on one of my closest friends," he answered. "That was a pretty good scene you did there. You kissed him like you were his real girlfriend."

"Ha ha. I'm sure. It's just two people touching lips."

"I don't think Nathan would be too happy about that scene."

She gave him a look and put her water bottle down. "You don't have to joke around with me about him, you know."

"Why not? You two are together so it shouldn't matter."

"What? Where did you hear that from?"

"Nathan told me that he was going to ask you to be his girlfriend last week. I just thought that –"

"No," she cut in. "We're not. I told him that we're better off as friends."

Jake lifted his eyebrows and remembered the night that Nathan yelled at Haley. "No wonder he was upset the other day."

"Yeah. But it's not my fault that my feelings can't meet up with his."

"Since you two aren't together, then . . . " Jake paused for a second to think about the whole picture issue with Haley. If Rachel admitted that the rumors about her new beaux weren't true, then Haley could get off the hook. She wouldn't have to deal with Nathan's cruel attitude anymore. "Shouldn't you wipe away all those rumors about your new boyfriend?"

"Oh, I've tried, but the people out there don't believe me. They're still speculating since I'm still here. But they need to understand that it's because I'm shooting a movie."

"I think you should start taking care of it. Nathan could get hurt in this."

"How could he get hurt if there's no evidence?"

"Have you read the magazines about yourself? It states that your new boyfriend is a hotel heir living in North Carolina."

"That's not enough."

"There are plenty of five star hotels around here that you could've chosen, but you chose this particular one."

"It's still not enough evidence."

"Let's just hope nothing happens. You know that his father isn't going to be happy about this."

"That's why I'm trying to keep our friendship under the radar."

* * *

As Haley grabbed her ice cream from the shop, she and Nathan headed out to the park to hang out for a bit. Despite the fact that Haley still harbored a dislike in Nathan, she found it reassuring for him to take her out for ice cream.

"You know when I was younger," she began as she hopped on a narrow ledge and started balancing on it. "My parents and I would visit Charlotte just so I could enjoy the amusement park and grab some ice cream. It always made me feel better after a bad day."

He walked beside her, carefully watching her in case she tripped on the ledge. He didn't know why he was concerned about her safety because she was a grown woman, but he couldn't seem to take his eyes off her.

"You must've been a spoiled little girl."

"I was," she stated.

"So what changed your mind? I mean, how could a spoiled girl turn into someone who refuses to take things that are handed to her?"

"I just grew up realizing that materialistic objects won't bring me happiness. None of that could love me or talk to me in return. All I need in life are the people that I love the most and a roof above my head. I don't know what else I could ask for. "

"What about a job?"

"Yeah that too," she added. He nodded and thought about what she said. He was kind of expecting her to wish for a mansion, a rich husband and a nice car, but she asked for friends and a roof above her head. It was incredible how she could find happiness in simple things like that. All his life, he was given money and servants to keep him content. But he actually wanted to find something similar to what she wanted. Something or someone who can love him in return.

"Speaking of jobs," she began. "Aren't you supposed to be at work doing business stuff?"

He shook his head and licked his ice cream. "Nah, I've actually finished most of my work for the week."

"Then why do you go so often even if you don't have to?"

"I'm just a workaholic," he answered. She looked down at him on the ledge and lifted an eyebrow. "And because it's the only place I can keep myself busy from the world."

"Because you're a scaredy cat," she joked.

"I'm not scared."

"Then why drown yourself in work when you could be out there exploring the world! If I had your kind of money, I'd use it to travel to every single country possible and take a ton of photos for my portfolio."

"Of course you would. You have the freedom to do that, but if you had a job like mine, you would never have the time," he said. She glanced down at him as she reached the end of the ledge.

"I think you should try," she advised as they continued to walk around the park.

_It must be hard being a rich boy. But I know your pain. Growing up with wealth and fancy objects isn't easy. It's almost like you're locked up in a cellar without any oxygen and all you want to do is breathe. I hope you find your freedom soon. Someone as ice cold as you should find warmth. No one deserves to be locked up._

* * *

"Na na na na, Na na na na, hey hey hey, goodbye," Brooke sang as she swung her baby side to side in the living room. She was trying to put Marley to sleep while she waited for Lucas to come back from the kitchen with a bottle of warm milk.

Things were starting to get a little bit more stressful for them now that they've decided to work harder for Haley. They've been building up enough money every day to put into her savings account, but it was difficult when they had a baby girl to raise. Diapers, baby food, and clothes were getting expensive these days. And they didn't exactly have the best paying jobs in the world.

"You think we should just stop putting money into Haley's savings account since they raised the prices on diapers?" Lucas asked as he came back carrying a bottle of milk.

"No!" Brooke retorted. "Haley is our best friend and she needs our help. She barely has enough money to pay for her rent. So we can't stop. We can do it, babe."

Lucas groaned as Brooke carefully handed him Marley. He held her gently and started swinging her side to side while Brooke picked up all the mess on the coffee table.

"Your mommy is stressed out because your Aunt Haley doesn't know how to pay her bills on time," he mumbled.

"Oh shut up, Luke. We're just doing this until she has enough money to pay for her rent. Her landlord really had the nerve to triple her payment like it's a game of monopoly."

"That's life, babe."

"I hate life," she snapped. "But good thing she's working her ass off for a wealthy man. It makes me less worried because I know that she's in good hands."

* * *

Back at Nathan's house, he decided to cook them dinner. It was sort of like penance since he treated her horribly from the beginning. He realized that Haley wasn't so bad after all. She wasn't exactly what he had expected her to be because she came off as a strong-willed and stubborn girl in the beginning. But now, he's seen the softer side of her. She wanted to live a simple life instead of an extraordinary life. And she wanted to be behind the camera instead of in front of it. And he liked that about her. She didn't want to be the center of attention.

He handed her the bowl of ramen noodles as they sat on the living room couch. She quickly started eating from her bowl as soon as he settled down opposite of her.

"Hungry much?"

"I ruined my breakfast and lunch with ice cream. What do you expect?"

"I never met someone who could dominate food like you do," he chuckled as he ate a spoon full.

"I guess I'm just full of surprises aren't I?" she replied. She continued to eat the rest of her bowl while they sat there quietly without a sound. They haven't had an evening like this since she started working. It was always an argument here and an insult there. Or they just didn't even say a word to each other. And Haley liked that they finally got a chance to spend time together. She needed a friend in this town.

"Can we still talk about our personal lives?" Haley asked, as she put her bowl down on her lap.

"What do you want to know?" he answered, eating more of his soup.

"I just noticed that you've been sad lately. And don't tell me that you're not because I see it on your face every morning and every time you come home," she began. "It must be hard to date a celebrity, huh? I mean, it's an ugly society out there. They should just leave two people who are in love alone. It's none of their business."

Nathan looked at her strangely and placed his bowl in his lap. Then he scratched the back of his head and tried to think of what to say to that. _Did she really think I was dating Rachel? Is she that clueless?_

"I think you've got it all wrong."

"Huh?"

"I'm not in a relationship with her."

"You're just saying that because you don't want to reveal the truth to me. I understand."

Nathan chuckled and shook his head. "No, I'm telling you the truth. I'm not in a relationship with Rachel at all."

"Oh, so . . . what about those rumors?" she asked, hesitantly and then put her nearly empty bowl on the coffee table.

"They are what they are. Rumors. It's just people making things up about her. But even if we're not together, you still can't post those pictures up. It would make things even worse."

"I won't, I made an agreement." Nathan didn't say anything in response, and she grew curious about his relationship with Rachel. He seemed to be really affected by her. Pulling up her legs, she wrapped her arms around her knees. "Do you like her?"

He stopped eating and looked up, but decided not to respond.

"Is that why you were upset with me?" she asked once again as she watched him stir his spoon his bowl. "You can tell me. I'm good at relationship problems. My best friends are actually married to each other. And you have no idea what it's like to be in the middle of it."

Again, Nathan refused to respond to her questions. It was a pretty soft subject to talk about. Even if he was tempted to tell Haley about his love life, he wasn't comfortable with opening up to someone.

"You guys seem really close. You must really like her. Jake told me you two have been friends for years."

"A bit too long," he finally stated. "I'm actually trying to get over her. But no matter how hard I try to get rid of her, I can't help but want to be with her all the time. It's a stupid habit." He continued eating his soup to get rid of the nerves that were building up inside of him after talking about Rachel. It was the first time in a long time since he actually spoken about Rachel in that level.

"So did you two have something going on before?" she asked, curiously.

He sighed and sat up from the couch and grabbed her bowl. "I'm going to put this away; you can go head to bed." Haley took that as a sign to stop the conversation and lightly smiled up at him.

"I think I'll stay up a little longer," she stated as she stretched her body out across the couch.

"Alright," he nodded and headed towards his kitchen. He placed the two bowls into the sink and began to think about Haley for a second. It was so easy to talk to her when they weren't fighting. She had a very welcoming personality and it made him feel comfortable. She lifted his spirits today, but he couldn't tell her that. He didn't want to make her overly confident. And he couldn't believe that he actually said that about Rachel to her.

When he returned to the living room, he noticed that Haley had already fallen asleep. He quietly walked beside her and kneeled down next to her head. He observed her face and couldn't help but notice how incredibly beautiful she was. Her skin looked really soft, so he slowly tempted to touch it with the tips of his fingers. But he decided to just leave her alone. So he grabbed the blanket from her room and placed it over her. Then he lifted her head and put a pillow underneath it.

And he just stood there, watching her as she turned a little underneath the covers. Then eventually, he heard her snore and chuckled at the sound.

"You're not like most girls," he mumbled before he dragged himself upstairs for bed.

* * *

What did you think of that chapter? Keep me inspired! :)


	6. Lie 6

**A/N:** BACK WITH ANOTHER UPDATE MY LOVES! I am definitely motivated and inspired by all of your loving, positive feedback. I didn't think I would get novels! I really appreciate all your kind words. I wish I could write individual replies to all of you but I'd probably write each of one you super long paragraphs haha. But I would like to summarize all your reviews into one post. I appreciate how many of you have stated that my story is like watching a movie in your head. _You know_, that's one thing that I look forward to when reading a story or a fanfic_(which I rarely do)_. If I can really picture the characters, settings, and plot in my head, I grow intrigued and continue reading it. And that's what I wanted in my stories. So I'm very glad that it was a success! You all have also stated how you like how I write Naley as if they were practically made for each other. I think in every AU story, Nathan and Haley will always find a way to become one. It's obvious that in any universe or time, Naley will always fall madly in love. They were tailor made! I'm glad that yall are enjoying the development between all the relationships of the story - Naley of course and obviously Jake&Haley!It's good to know that you also love how I'm portraying Haley as the cheery, carefree, independent woman because we never really see that enough on TV. It's fun writing her this way. It's still the same Haley off the show, but with a few kinks! **Christina**- Love! I really hope your safe and fine! Tornadoes are the scariest, and again thank you for your double reviews. I remain motivated! **23bNrAuLcEaYs** - You're TOO kind to write down that whole review for me! Geez. You know that I'm inspired/motivated by that. How could I NOT! lol. I hope you did well on that test! For the rest of my **LOVELY readers** and those who left my wonderful reviews, thank you again! I love you!

Here's the next chappy. I hope you enjoyed it!

* * *

**Chapter 6 "Lie 6"**

When Haley woke up the next morning, she found a piece of paper lying on her face. She quickly snatched it off and sat up on the couch. Realizing that it was already nine o' clock, she began to panic. But then she started reading the note

_Dear Haley,  
I didn't want to wake you so I went out to buy breakfast in town. Thank you for forgiving me yesterday and being a friend. I appreciate it. But you still have to clean my house. The bathroom is a little dirty and there are bugs in the pool. Remember I'm paying you, so do your job._

_Nathan._

She wasn't sure whether she should smile or glare at the note, but it was thoughtful of him to do that for her. It was genuine and a little surprising since she first thought of him as rude and snobby. Now, he was actually starting to look nice in her eyes.

* * *

"You look like you're in a better mood," Jake said, sitting down across from Nathan in his office. He grabbed a couple peanuts from the tray and started putting them in his mouth one by one.

"I had a good day yesterday," Nathan answered.

"I'm glad. You've been so depressed lately; it was starting to rub off on me. Are you still pushing Haley around?"

"Yeah," he answered.

"You should ease off her, man. She's trying her best."

"I know that. I'm going to be a little bit nice to her since she is keeping my place cleaned. But I'm not guaranteeing that I'll be nice all the time. She's has a big mouth for a little person."

Jake couldn't agree more. "I kind of like her," he admitted. "She's cute and full of life. It's different from most girls I've been with."

Nathan paused for a moment from his documents, and looked up at his cousin. He recognized that face. He could tell that Jake was getting lost in his thoughts.

"You like her?"

"Yeah. I have to admit, she's not really my type, but I think I could change that."

Not like it mattered at all, but Nathan suddenly felt a bit uncomfortable with Jake's confession. Jake was a player. A Casanova. A person who likes to reel in girls so he could add them to his list. He couldn't see Haley being one of those them. She was too good for him.

"Good luck with that," was all that Nathan could say. He didn't want to put up any impressions that he was actually getting a soft spot for Haley.

Jake leaned over and grabbed another hand full of peanuts. He hovered over Nathan's desk to see what he was working on and scratched his temple.

"I heard that you and Rachel are not going out."

"Huh?"

He nodded. "I visited her on the set. She feels bad for what she said to you. It's not her fault, Nathan. You can't make someone love you back just because you're hurting."

"Can we not talk about this?" Nathan asked as he tried to focus back on his work.

Jake nodded and sat back on the chair. He still couldn't understand why Nathan refused to open up to him. They were practically best friends and it worried him to see him in pain. It wasn't healthy for a person to bottle up all their emotions.

"Fine, if that's what you want. I'll just leave it alone like always," Jake stated. "But Rachel is taking it hard too. She really feels bad for hurting you. You should at least show her that you're okay and that you're still friends."

"We're still friends," Nathan stated. "It's just hard to be around her. I just want to focus on my job instead of wasting my time with someone that I can't have. So there. Now you can stop bothering me about me and Rachel."

"I'm just trying to help."

"Then let's not talk about it anymore." Nathan gave him a serious look, waiting for Jake to accept it and then returned to his work.

* * *

Sweeping and cleaning the house was becoming easier for Haley. At first, she hated cleaning his house and washing his clothes, but now she grew used to it. She still didn't like it, but it wasn't so bad anymore.

It didn't take her long to finish all her chores. Since she cleaned the house every single day, there wasn't much to clean. Good thing because she was getting tired of cleaning 'til her back ached.

She dusted the top of his drawers, and found a piece of paper next to his family photo. _Blind date. Meet at this Café at four. _It said the name of the café and a phone number. Immediately, Haley grew amused by the card. _This man is going on a blind date. Is he that desperate to get rid of Rachel? Geez, this would be a slap in the face if I were her. _She laughed. _This is too good. I'm not going to let this go._

Placing the card back on its rightful place, she looked over at his empty fish tank. She still thought it was pretty pointless to keep an empty tank with no fish and water in it. So she quickly finished cleaning his room and called Jake. Haley wanted to give something nice to Nathan just because she just felt the need to give him something special.

After cleaning up, Jake finally arrived and picked her up from the house.

"I thought you'd never call," she smiled at his comment.

"I needed a ride and you were the first one I thought of. Besides, my car is still chillin by the hotel and Nathan's busy working. You were the only reasonable person to call."

"Well I'm glad you thought of me. I was getting bored. Wedding stuff isn't really my kind of thing."

"Wedding?"

"Yeah, didn't I tell you? My mom's getting married soon."

Haley thought of the day Rachel arrived to the hotel and remembered him mentioning something about a wedding. "Oh that's right. I forgot. But you're a boy. Boys aren't supposed to like planning things like that."

"I guess. I just don't like all the preparing and stress that comes with it."

"I think it would be fun to plan a wedding," she stated, smiling at the idea in her head. She's always dreamt about what her wedding would be like since she was little. Almost every little girl probably thought about it once. It was going to be a big ceremony in a Cathedral with purple flowers decorating the aisle. Her dress was going to be heart shaped with a long tail and a laced top. She reduced the amount of bride's maids from ten to five. And they would all be wearing a pale gold dress that stopped at the knee. And her groom, well her groom was going to be waiting beside the priest with a huge smile on his face. Even if she didn't know who it was, she knew for a fact that the man waiting at the end of the aisle for her was the man that she was going to spend the rest of her life with. No divorces, no separations, but forever.

Jake noticed her smiling to herself and turned the corner to the pet shop.

"So what are we doing here again?" he asked, parking next to an old red pick up truck.

"I wanted to fill in Nathan's fish tank. It's empty and I thought I'd do something nice for him," she answered.

He looked at her confused. "Why would you do that for him? He's been a jerk to you."

She shrugged her shoulders and tried to find an explanation, but couldn't really figure one out. "I don't know. The tank was empty and it was just staring at me, telling me that I needed to fill it up with water and fish." He looked at her like she was a freak. "What? It was! Every time I looked at it, it whispered 'Haley fill me up! I'm empty! Please!""

Jake suddenly burst out in laughter at the way she changed her voice. "What the hell was that?"

"My impression of what the tank would say if it had a mouth." He just looked at her dumbfounded but at the same amused. He wasn't completely sure if she always did this, but it didn't really affect his attraction towards her. "You know what? I'm going to go inside because you're really making me feel stupid right now. So bye!" she climbed out of the car and skipped inside of the store causing Jake to chuckle.

* * *

Rachel had just finished her day of filming and decided to give Nathan a call. They hadn't spoken in days and it worried her. She thought that they were actually going to be alright. He even told her that she shouldn't have to worry about anything. But he wasn't living up to his words. She couldn't take it anymore. Nathan was a big part of her life and she didn't want to lose him.

When she dialed his number, he was taking a break from work by walking around town for a bit. Ever since he went out with Haley that day for ice cream, he found it refreshing to walk around the city instead of driving. It was a simple day out and it really helped him focus on something else other than Rachel.

As he crossed the street, his phone began to ring and he looked at it to see who it was. When he saw the name, he immediately ignored it and shoved it back into his pocket. How could he stop liking her if she kept trying to pull him back in? His admiration for Rachel dragged on for too long and he needed to move on from her. Even if it meant that their friendship was over.

Noticing that the rings were cut short, Rachel suddenly felt her chest tighten. She slowly kneeled down on the ground and glanced at her phone with his name on it. She didn't like how he was ignoring her like she meant nothing to him. And it made her realize how much she wanted him to stay in her life.

He continued to walk along the sidewalks when he spotted Jake and Haley walking out of a pet shop. They were laughing at something while she held a medium sized bag of water in her left hand. Her smile was so bright; it made the pain from Rachel's phone call wash away. But then he noticed how Jake was looking at her in a way a lover would look at someone. And the weirdest feeling flickered inside of him and he didn't know why.

Haley's eyes shot up and noticed that Nathan was standing awkwardly in the middle of the sidewalk. He looked a bit upset as always and decided to jog up to him with her little surprise.

"Boss!" she called out. Nathan glanced up and saw her skipping over to him with a huge grin on her face. Jake followed even though he knew how uncomfortable he was around him now.

"I got you something," she stated, showing him the bag of water with fishes inside. Nathan was stunned by the gift and observed the fishes as they swam past each other. "While I was cleaning your room, I noticed that you had an empty fish tank. I just had to fill it up."

"Yeah because the tank told her to," Jake cut in. Haley slapped him across the arm and laughed. Nathan watched them joke around with each other and suddenly felt like he didn't belong there.

"You like it?" she asked.

"Yeah, I like it," he answered, softly.

"I'm glad. I actually bought a particular one for you. It's this one." She pointed inside the bag towards a small black and white clown fish. "It reminded me of you because of all the suits you wear. You can name him whatever you want, but I was thinking along the lines of Arty. What do you think?"

"Sounds good to me," he replied, watching her as she observed the bag of fishes like a child in an aquarium. He realized that he was looking at her for too long and pushed away all strange thoughts in his head.

"Okay, I bet you're busy, so we're going to head back to the house to put these babies up," Haley stated as she looked at him and noticed the odd expression on his face. He looked lost. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm fine."

"Are you sure? You look –"

"I said I'm fine," he cut in, strongly. "Go home and finish cleaning my house," he ordered.

Haley scowled at him as she lowered the bag of fish by her side. "I just bought you a fish and all you could say is 'clean my house'? You're always demanding aren't you? You know what? I think I'm going to keep this fish and give it a different name since I bought it myself." She quickly turned around and started walking the opposite direction.

"Let's just hope she doesn't name it jackass," Jake smiled as he turned around and followed her.

What the hell is wrong with me, he thought, and turned around to go back to work.

* * *

Nathan decided to go home early and do some work there instead. The first thing he was expecting to see when he arrived was Jake's car, but luckily it wasn't. It oddly made Nathan happy that he wasn't there anymore. He didn't know why it thrilled him so much. Maybe it was because he was a little annoyed that Jake was trying to meddle with his love life or that he just didn't want him near Haley.

As he entered the house, he found Haley dancing outside by the pool as she removed the bugs from the water. He couldn't help but notice how her hips swung side to side to the beat of the imaginary song in her head. It was entertaining to watch her act like a fool. Who dances without music? He thought. He continued to watch her from the living room as she made her rounds scooping the water. While chuckling at the sight, he saw her suddenly slip and fall against the concrete floor. Without thought, he found himself running towards her.

"Ergh," she murmured as she looked at her knee and noticed that it was bleeding.

"Are you okay?" Nathan asked as he kneeled down next to her to check on her knee. She looked up, surprised that he was already home and pulled away from him.

"What are you doing home so early?"

"I decided that I wanted to work here for the rest the day," he answered. "Come on, let's patch this up," he ordered, gently grabbing her arm to lift her up.

"I'm fine, it's just a little scratch."

"Let's put medicine on it before it gets infected," Nathan stated as he dragged her inside towards the living room. He placed her on the chair and hurried over to the bathroom to grab the first aid kit.

She was puzzled by the way he looked at her when she fell. He looked so worried that she couldn't really understand why. When he came back with the bag, he kneeled down before her and placed her leg against his knee. Haley gazed at him and felt something warm inside of her chest. She couldn't quite describe it, but she liked it. It was comforting to see him worry over a simple little scratch. While wiping the blood off her skin, he noticed another scratch on her other leg.

"Are you a born klutz or something?" he asked, returning his attention back to the fresh wound and started dabbing the medicine on it.

"Ahh, that stings!" she cried out. "I blame it on gravity pull."

"Why are you so stupid?" he stated while he placed a band-aid over the clean wound.

"Excuse me? Stupid?"

"Why were you dancing around like that around the pool? There's not even any music playing. You looked like a fool."

"I was just –" she began, frustrated at the fact that he was trying to start an argument. "It's just something that I do when no one's around. I didn't know you were watching me, creeper." She roughly pulled her leg off his knee and stood up away from him.

"Well try not to do that anymore. You could get hurt," he ordered as he stood up from the floor.

"I'll dance to my own music any time I want to. I don't need you to tell me what I can and cannot do," she retorted back. She started walking away towards the kitchen and grabbed herself a glass of water.

Nathan didn't understand why he suddenly had to be mean to her when he somehow just wanted to be nice. But he couldn't seem to show it to her. It was becoming routine for him to come home and bicker with her because he was used to it. Being nice to her gave him a strange feeling in the pit of his stomach and he wasn't sure if he liked it or not. The feeling was familiar but he didn't want to think about it anymore.

He followed her in the kitchen and watched her as she downed the glass of water.

"What did you name him?" he asked.

"Name who?"

"The fish you bought me."

"I bought you a fish? I don't remember buying you anything," she answered. He looked at her expression and noticed that she was trying to think about it. It was obvious that she was playing around with him out of anger.

"The clown fish that you showed me earlier. Did you name him Arty?"

She scoffed. She turned walked over to the sink and started washing her glass. "I named him after you," she said.

"You called him Nathan?" he asked, showing off his delighted smirk.

"I called him _Dick_."

"What?" he exclaimed. "You can't name him that!"

"Oh of course I can. I bought him, so I get to name him and _Dick_ is his name," she smiled. She walked past him, brushing his shoulder and returned to the living room. He followed her and tried to think of a good comeback but his cell phone started to ring. Haley turned around at the sound and grew curious of who was calling.

"Hello, grandma?"

"Are you going today?"

"What's today?" he asked confused. His eyes traveled over to Haley who just picked up the duster and started dusting the television. He still couldn't believe she named the fish after him.

"The blind date, sweetie. How could you already forget? They're meeting you in an hour."

_Shit! He thought. _

"Do I really have to go to that?"

"Why are you such a stubborn man? Just go like you agreed to. It's not so bad," she begged. "They are all from wealthy and successful families. I even met them before hand and I have a feeling that they'll be suitable for you. There's nothing like having a good classy woman for my handsome young grandson."

"Okay," he sighed. "I'll get ready."

"Thank you. Call me once it's over. I can't wait to hear about it."

"No problem." He quickly hung up his phone and rolled up his fists in frustration.

Haley looked over her shoulder and found Nathan looking a little distressed. "Who was that?"

"My grandma," he answered. He strode across the living room and started making his way up the stairs.

"What did she want?"

"It's none of your business," he yelled back after he entered his room.

Haley stuck her tongue out at him as she continued dusting the shelves. After a week and half of working for his stubborn butt, he was still as absurd as he was from when they first met. Even if she did find something sweet about him, he annoyed her to the point where she wanted to rip her hair out.

While Nathan got ready for his blind date, he glanced over at the fish tank that was now filled up with water. There were about four fishes swimming inside, especially the black and white one that Haley named 'Dick'. Even if Haley repeatedly said it wasn't for him, he couldn't help but smile at the thought that she went out to buy fish anyways. It was like a mini aquarium. It was ironic though. Haley didn't even know that he liked fishes and aquariums.

Climbing down the stairs, Haley noticed how nice he looked in a black button up shirt and white slacks. He looked quite dashing, she had to admit. But she wondered why he was all dressed up.

"Where are you going?" she asked, sitting up from the couch and lowering down the volume of the TV.

"I have a date," he answered as he rolled his sleeves.

_Blind date, she thought. _She quickly smirked and looked at him slyly. "A date, huh? How many?"

He turned to her confused. "Just one," he lied.

"Really? I don't believe it."

"Why not?"

"I don't know, it's just that when I was cleaning around your room I found a card. It said something along the lines of blind dates and coffee," she smiled. "Are you really that desperate to get rid of Rachel? I mean, it's a good idea, and all, but just a tad desperate."

He glared at her and finished adjusting his shirt. "I'm not doing this because I want to get rid of Rachel. My grandmother is forcing me to go meet up with these girls so that I could find a potential girlfriend. She thinks I'm lonely."

"I think it's a good idea," she said.

Nathan laughed as he grabbed his keys from the hook. "Why do you think that?"

"I think that maybe it could help you move on from her. It wouldn't be so bad to find someone who could make you happy."

"As if you know what makes me happy," he grumbled.

She rolled her eyes at him and she glanced at the TV. It was hard for her not to look at him because he was just standing there looking really handsome. This was not the first time Haley found him attractive. She remembered the time he was removing his shirt in his bedroom. His tan skin, his chiseled muscles, his strong arms. She couldn't seem to stop herself from melting at the sight. _Why are all the jerks so attractive?_

"Well, good luck with that. I'm sure none of them will find you appealing," she stated as she shook all her thoughts away.

He chuckled. "I might be home late, so don't dance by the pool anymore," he ordered. "I don't want you walking out of the house looking like I beat you up."

"We'll see."

* * *

Nathan sat patiently in one of the corners of the café and listened to every single woman his grandmother set him up with. It was crazy how these women that she chose were the exact type that he's been looking for -successful, intelligent women with beauty and grace so radiant that it made the stars jealous. But somehow none of them captured his interest and that wasn't a surprise since he's never actually wanted anyone else except that one red head girl. Even though that was the reason from the past, he found these girls a bit boring.

"My name's Brenda," the first woman stated her eyes wide as if she was surprised to see Nathan sitting in front of her. Her nostrils were flaring and her chest was heaving up and down. He wasn't quite sure what was going on or if she was having an anxiety attack. All he knew was that something was going terribly wrong with her breathing.

Smiling nervously, he said, "Hi, nice to meet you Brenda."

"Did you know that I'm allergic to bees?" He shook his head slowly and watched her face turn red. "Because I am and before I came here, I touched a bee hive." He raised his eyebrows. "And one of them stung me and now I think my organs are swelling up."

"SOMEONE CALL 911!" he cried out.

"My father owns an island where we can go ski, eat lobsters, sleep together," the second woman smiled as Nathan nodded his head unimpressed as he stared at the huge, hairy mole on her left cheek. It was almost as if it had its own heart beat when she moved her mouth. "There's even a huge lot where you can build a hotel. Wouldn't that be fun!"

"Mmm hmm," Nathan nodded.

"So I hear you went to Stanford? What was your major?" he asked the third girl. She had short black hair and bright blue eyes, but they weren't looking at him. He wasn't even sure which eye he should look at to really connect with her. One eye was looking at the man to her right while the other one seemed like it was staring at his chest. He cleared his throat and glanced away to drink his glass of water.

When the fourth girl came to sit in front of him, she wasn't that bad at all. Her hair was long and brown. Her lips were full and she had an infectious and classy personality that made him think of Rachel. They almost seemed to be the same person. They talked a little bit about history, money, futures and even cars. But even if he thought she was the kind of person he'd like to spend time with, she was missing something he didn't even know.

The fifth girl was a chatter box. He couldn't even let out a single word without her interrupting him in the middle of his sentence as if his opinion didn't matter. He wanted to shoot himself when he found her flipping out her phone and started a conversation with one of her girlfriends about how snotty and annoying he was right in front of his face.

He groaned and leaned his head back against his chair, pinching his nose from the migraine that was killing his brain. As the girl continued to talk smack about him, he felt his phone vibrate in his pants.

"What's that!" the girl cried out when she heard the noise. "Is that a vibrator?"

His eyes widened and sat up as he pulled out his phone to show her. He held it against his ear without even looking at it and shooed the annoying girl away.

"Hello?" he watched as his date glared at him and walked away, still chatting on the phone.

"Sup, boss."

"Haley? Why are you calling me? You should be – I don't know, cleaning my house."

"Pfft. I've been finished. I was just bored so I called you. You must be having a joyful time with your mistresses. How's that going for ya?" He heard her chewing something crunchy and sighed.

"What are you eating? I didn't say that you could rummage through my pantry."

"Stop being such a jerk and answer my question," she retorted.

"It's tons of fun," he replied. "I think I might marry one of them."

She choked on the other line. "She must be ugly. Who would marry someone like you? You're so grouchy and stubborn."

"Hey! Did you call just to mock me?"

"Eh," she replied. "You're at a café right? You should bring me a mocha frappucino. I'm craving one."

"Do you really think I'd buy you something? You're already living in my house and mooching off my money."

"Grr, so cruel!"

He let out a sigh and noticed the last girl walking towards him in a black skirt and white floral top. "Here comes lady number six. This might be short, so I'll probably be home early."

"Don't forget my mocha!" she yelled before he hung up his phone and readjusted himself on his seat. The woman sat on the seat across from him and settled her purse on her lap.

She was pretty like all the rest of them, but a bit on the chubby side. But that didn't really matter to him. Personality was the most important thing in a girl.

"What's your name?" he asked politely.

She opened her mouth to respond but nothing seemed to come out. Swallowing her throat, she grabbed a tissue from her purse and started dabbing her forehead.

He grew confused. "Are you okay?"

"Y-you're.. . I'm – I'm . . ." she stuttered. "I'm Lacey."

"Nice to meet you, Lacey. I'm Nathan," he smiled as he waited for her to respond, but she was sweating buckets for some reason. It was kind of similar to what the first girl looked like but this one was a nervous wreck.

"You . . . are . . . soo gorgeous." she let out in a deep and sluggish tone.

His eyes narrowed and tilted his head. "Huh?"

"You hate me now don't you!" she snapped.

"N – no I don't," he replied, a little scared.

"You think I'm ugly because I'm fat and you're gorgeous. So we can't be together," she whined.

"Hold on a second. I don't understand where this is all coming from. I don't think you're ugly."

"Yes you do. I see how you look at me."

"Mam," he began but she quickly stood up and marched away whimpering and mumbling to herself as she walked out of café, leaving Nathan puzzled and freaked out.

_I can't believe this! Who were these people? They are all pretty and wealthy but they are all weird. They are snappy and bipolar, talkative and rude, insecure and weird, or perfect but boring. How could he tell his grandma about how horrible his dates were? She was the person who chose all these girls for him because she knew in some kind of way that he'd actually like them. He wasn't even quite sure where she found them or what his grandma was on, but these ladies were obviously not what he was looking for._

"Can I have a mocha frapp?" he asked over the counter while he twirled a thin, red straw between his fingers.

"Why did you scare her off?" he looked to his side and found a woman with a beanie and sunglasses holding a foam cup in her hands. She looked familiar from beneath her disguise. It was too dark to be wearing sunglasses and too hot to be earing a hat. By the way the red hair peaked from beneath the hat; he instantly knew who it was.

"What are you doing here?"

She slid her sunglasses slightly down her nose and smiled. "I came to get a cup of coffee. What else?" lifting her cup up to him. "What did you do to that poor girl, anyways?"

It was his habit again. No matter how many times he's tried to forget her, he could never keep himself away.

"Nathan, please talk to me. I know I hurt you. You even told me that you were fine, but seeing that you haven't even replied to my texts or answered any of my phone calls, you are definitely not fine. You're mad at me, aren't you?"

"I can never be mad at you," he replied, watching as the employee started creating the mocha frapp.

"You're kidding me right? I call you every day, but you don't respond. I know you look at your phone when I call. Don't tell me you don't."

"Does it bother you?"

"Yes it bothers me. You are one of my bestest friends, Nate. It kills me to think you hate me for being honest with you. Don't you still care about me?"

He sighed deeply and looked away from Rachel as she stepped closer to him. "I don't want to talk about this here."

The coffee maker placed the cap on the coffee cup and slid it over to Nathan as he grabbed it. Once Nathan held it in his hand, he paid for it and he started towards the door. Rachel followed him out on the sidewalk. He wanted so much to walk away from her, to keep his emotions inside even if it was killing him. Why was she doing this to him? Doesn't she understand how much it hurts him to see her face after playing with his heart like a toy?

"Stop!" she begged, pulling on his arm. The touch of her hand made him stiff. "Don't you still care about me?"

He stopped by one of the light posts and tensed up. "You know I do."

"Then stop walking away from me. I still want you in my life. Why can't we just have that?"

He was hesitant to answer her. "Because it hurts too much to even look at you. You will always be the most important thing in my life but how can I still think that after you damaged my heart? It's hard to have you_ in my life_," he said, with his back to her.

"Nathan. . . "

"Just stop trying to talk to me, okay?"

"So that's it? Our friendship of many years is over because you're in love with me and I'm not in love with you? You're just going to end it just like that?" she shouted as he cringed at her words.

Her hand was still wrapped around his wrist when he whipped it off. He wanted to turn around and look at her, but he wasn't going to do that. He had to break the habit. This happened numerous times. Their friendship went through circles. Nathan would confess his love for her, she'd reject him, he would hate her, she would beg for him back, he'd give in and keep her around, and then it started all over again. Over and over. Nothing seemed to change. And now, he's had enough. He couldn't take on that much stress in his life anymore.

"It's over," he said bluntly and started walking away with the mocha frapp in hand.

"Nathan!" she shouted. "Nathan!" He swallowed the lump in his throat at the sound of her screams and continued to walk. He felt like he made the biggest mistake of his life, but it was the only way to stop the pain that was building up inside of him.

* * *

Haley wasn't sure where Nathan was because she had been waiting for him to come home for hours. He only had one more date left and it didn't take that long to drive back here from the coffee shop. She has never waited on someone to come home before. It was frustrating and annoying because she wanted to stay up until he came walking through that door even if she lost sleep just so she could get paid. Plus, she didn't want to go to bed and wake up in the morning with another woman cooking him breakfast in the kitchen. That was her job. It's not like he was going to bring one home; but still, he only had one more date. It probably went well if it was taking him this long to come home.

As she was lounging on the couch, flipping through about twenty channels, she heard the door knob wiggle. It was really late and she didn't want to look like she actually waited for him to return, so she quickly flopped down on her side with her eyes closed.

Nathan entered the house, spotting Haley asleep on the couch and closed the door slowly behind him. He went to the aquarium to calm down from what happened at the café. Six disastrous blind dates and ending a long time friendship was a pretty big deal. Coming home early like he said earlier was a no-no. After realizing how big of a jerk he was to Haley that other night, he wanted to make sure it didn't happen again. Snapping at her out of anger was the last thing he wanted to deal with especially when she didn't deserve it.

He placed Haley's mocha Frappuccino on the coffee counter and headed upstairs while unbuttoning his shirt. She opened one eye to glance at him and noticed the long face. When he was finally on the top of the staircase, she opened her other eye and watched him disappear into his room.

_Were the dates that bad?_ She slowly sat up on the couch and found her mocha sitting on the table waiting for her to drink it. _Wow, he actually bought it. _She smiled and held it up for a drink. After taking another sip of her coffee, she heard foot steps from the stairs. With that, Haley's eyes widened and hurriedly fell back to sleep.

He was walking back downstairs in a pair of plaid pajama pants and a soft white t-shirt with a graphic on it. Walking past the couch and into this kitchen, Haley slowly sat up and took a peak at what he was doing. She watched him grab a bottle of wine from a secret cabinet and a wine glass from the cupboard. She grew curious as she watched him pour the drink into his cup.

"Where the hell was he hiding that?" she whispered to herself. He heard her while taking a swig from his glass.

"Haley," he called out. She quickly laid back down and tightened her eyes. "I know you're awake." Her eyes shot open and sat up completely, turning her head at Nathan. He was leaning over the counter with the whine bottle in front of him and glass to his lips.

"How did you know?" she asked, surprised.

"I'm not stupid. I knew you were faking it the whole time. Come here," he ordered. "Drink with me."

"Huh?"

"You heard me. Come over here and drink with me."

"But I have my mocha," she answered.

"Then come drink your mocha over here with me," he ordered.

Haley tentatively grabbed the cup and walked over to the kitchen by Nathan. She wasn't quite sure what was going on. She was starting to feel uneasy. So she settled herself on the stool across from Nathan without a word, and glanced up at him. He was looking distressed again.

"So," she began while taking a sip from her cup. "How's that wine?" she asked nervously.

"Numbing," he answered.

"That's interesting," she nodded, awkwardly.

"Do you like anybody?" he asked, pouring him another glass of wine.

She was a little stunned from the abrupt question and shook her head. "Uh. . . ."

"It's not that hard to answer."

She was a confused and said, "No, not really."

"Well have you_ ever_ liked someone then?"

"Yeah, I'm sure everyone's liked someone at some point in their life."

"Did they like you back?" he asked.

"Where all these questions coming from?"

"Just answer it," he ordered.

"Fine, geez," she replied, taking a sip from her cup of mocha Frappuccino. "Only a few has ever liked me back."

"What did you do when you found out that they didn't like you in return?" he looked up with curious eyes as if they were hoping for a miracle to cure his pain. His stare was hard to resist even if she didn't want to have this conversation with him when he was drinking.

"To be honest, it was painful to know that they didn't like me back. I think I cried for days because of a broken heart, but I got over it eventually."

"How did you do that? How did you get over it?" When she stared at his blue eyes, she could clearly see the pain through them like stained glass windows. He was practically crying for help. Even if he was getting drunker by the minute, and probably wouldn't remember a word she said if he tried, she wanted to give him the answer she wanted him to hear if he wasn't drinking.

"I took it day by day no matter how hard it was to forget. And I told myself that things will get better if I just surround myself with loving, positive people and think about how much better life is when I'm happy. Being sad over someone is selfish and stupid. It's just another reason for someone to pity you. My mother always told me that if someone can't love me back, someone else will in some part of this world. And knowing that made me feel better."

Rubbing his fingers along the stem of his glass, she studied him to see what he thought of that answer. There weren't really any signs of 'okay, thanks for the advice 'or 'that's not what I wanted to hear'. He just stood there, looking at his nearly empty wine glass with glazed eyes. He was hurting. He was breaking. He was dying. He was not happy. And all she wanted to do was walk around the counter and hug him into a tight embrace, but they weren't close enough to do stuff like that.

"Oh man," he let out as he poured some more wine into his glass and downed it quickly.

"How much are you planning on drinking tonight, boss?" she asked curiously.

"Enough to stop whatever is stinging me here," holding his hand against his chest, he shut his eyes.

"Did you scare the dates off with your face?" Haley asked, trying to lighten up the mood that was getting too serious too fast.

"Ugh," he groaned, leaning even more upon the counter. Obviously, her joke wasn't funny and she watched him lazily lay his head against the marble.

"You should get some rest. I don't want you waking up with a migraine in the morning. Hangovers on an already grouchy man is not good for me. Sober insults are okay, but angry hungover insults are not." She grabbed the bottle of wine away from him and stored it back into the cabinet where she saw him take it out. "So go upstairs," she suggested while closing the cupboard doors. She turned around and spotted him already dozing off on the counter like a sloppy drunk.

_He's already drunk? That fast? Why did you drink so much in so little time, stupid? _She walked over to him and started poking him in the head, pushing it forward while it rolled back to its previous place.

"Mr. Cranky, wake up! Go upstairs and sleep!" she ordered. Patting his back roughly, she waited for a response, but he didn't do anything except moan. "Get up or I'm going to post those pictures of you and Rachel!"

"Rachel," he groaned through the marble surface.

Haley rolled her eyes and started poking him underneath his arms. "Mr. Scott, get up! Why did you drink so many glasses?" she growled.

He didn't respond. The only thing that came to mind was to carry the huge man back to his room. She couldn't leave him there. If he woke up in the morning with a crick in his neck, he was going to yell at her for leaving him there, so she did what she thought was right. Pulling on his arms, she put them over her shoulders and adjusted him to where he was safe on her back. He was so heavy that it was difficult to stand on both feet without trembling. Good thing, she wasn't a weakling.

It took a while for her to climb him up the stairs with him on her back, but she was able to reach his room in no time. Out of breath, she dropped him against her bed and at the same time his heavy arm brought her down with him. His arm rested around her waist, locking her there. She was shocked to see herself in this position with him. She never even thought about what it would be like to lie next to him this way. Turning to see that his face was right in front of her, she couldn't help but notice how admirable his facial features were up close. His eye lashes were long, his nose was straight, and his lips were full and sexy. He even looked angelic despite the fact that he was completely wasted.

After snapping out of her daze, she sat up slowly to leave, but was pushed back down against his bed. Her eyes widened when she looked at him and watched as his eyes slowly opened.

"Why are you taking care of me?"

"Huh?"

"I'm mean and cold, yet you still work for me," he continued.

"I don't know, I – I just –" she tried to get up again, but he pushed her down.

"Do you like me or something?"

"What?"

She wasn't really prepared for something like this to happen. That question never came to mind while staying in his house. Haley did have a few similar thoughts of an attraction to him, but it never concluded to her liking him. It wasn't rare to think someone was attractive, but now that he brought it up, she probably did. She probably liked Nathan. But she didn't want to.

She grew nervous and sweaty and quickly shoved his arm off her and said, "Why would I like someone like you? You're bitter and selfish. You're audacious and bossy. The only reason I'm taking care of your sorry ass is because you're paying me!" she ranted as she climbed off his bed and stood in the middle of his room.

"I was only asking a question," he answered, while sitting up slowly, clearly not as drunk as she thought.

"Well – I answered it for you. So don't ask me that again!"

"Why?"

"Because I don't like that question!" she yelled.

"Why are you shouting?" he asked, curiously.

"I –" she began loudly but lowered the volume. "I don't know. It's getting late so I should get to bed. I have a breakfast to make in the morning."

"Don't make me frozen waffles this time," he ordered as she started walking out of his room. Once she disappeared, he laid himself back down and shut his eyes with a smile on his face.

After a long day of dealing with women, Haley somehow ended up being the first one to make him really smile. Out of all the ruckus and drama in his life, she seemed to be the only one who could make him laugh even if she didn't mean to. It made him kind of happy to come home to that sometimes.

"Do I like him? What kind of effing question is that?" Haley asked herself after closing her door to her bed room. "I don't like him. Ugh, I don't!" She fell back on her bed and glanced up at the ceiling and started picturing his face in her head. And she paused for a second to analyze her feelings. "Or maybe I do? . . . No! No! No!" Pulling a pillow from above her, she placed it over her face and screamed in frustration.

* * *

_**'Ello. Whatdya think? You like? Keep me inspired! :)**_


	7. Lie 7

**A/N:** My lovely readers! I am back once again with a brand new chapter! Again, thanks again for you wonderful words. They all keep me motivated and inspired. You know, after reading them all last night especially **Kate'**s three reviews, I couldn't help but feel a sense of happiness. You all describe my work as if it were a master piece and the compliments about being one of the few writers who updates on a regular basis is soo great to hear! Also I like this -** Best Fanfictastic Writer of the Decade. **That would be a complete honor. If only I could write a longer author's note praising you all for you kind words, but I have things to do and more chapters to write, so I really hope you enjoy this chapter. New directions! New Lies! You all keep me motivated as always. Oh and to answer one of your questions, Haley's feelings for Jake will be revealed in the next chapter or later. And I don't think Peyton will fit into the story, but now that you mention it, she might show up in a later chapter. So wait for it and enjoy!

_Annie_

_

* * *

_

**Chapter 7 "Lie 7"**

"Hey, guess what?" Brooke asked as Haley wiped the windows at the front of the house.

"What?" She sprayed a bottle of Windex onto the glass and noticed Nathan walking down the stairs in a pair of jogging pants and a jacket.

"We're coming to visit you," Brooke answered.

"You're what?" Haley exclaimed. "Visiting me where? You can't come here!"

"And why not?" She glanced over at Nathan who grabbed a pair of sneakers and started tying them on. It was obvious that he was getting ready for a run.

"Because you just can't! Where are you going to stay? You can't stay here that's for sure," she said, wiping down the windows.

"We can stay at that hotel your boss owns."

"You can afford that kind of hotel? Especially with your daughter?"

"Marley would love a place like that. It would be nice to let my daughter experience luxury."

"Do it another time. Not right now since I'm trying to gain money for my rent, which is due one and a half months from now. It'll only put more stress on me if you come."

"Haley, we're only going to visit you for a day or two. I promise that we won't bother you or your job. I know you hate it when we meddle into your life."

"Tell me about it," Haley sighed, breathing out against the glass to wipe off the one spot she missed. As she did that, Nathan walked up to her and sent her a strange look. She scowled at him and pretended to poke his eye from the other side of the window.

"We're actually packing up right now. I'll even bring some extra clothes for you since you'll be staying there longer."

She waited for Nathan to walk away to return to her conversation. "You got to be kidding me, Brooke. I seriously am begging you to stay in Tree Hill!"

"You're so bossy!" her best friend whined. "Can we do something for you just once?"

Haley groaned and placed her hand against her forehead. "Fine, you can come visit me but don't ruin anything!"

"We promise!"

"Good, just call me when you get here. I'll try to finish cleaning the house earlier so I can meet up with you guys," she stated.

"I'm so excited!" Brooke exclaimed. "Oh, and one more thing."

"And what is that?"

"You think your boss can give us a discount on one of the luxury suites?"

"Bye, Brooke!" Haley quickly hung up on the phone and turned to go back inside the house. Startled, she found Nathan looking at her with a curious expression.

"Who are you meeting up with later?" he asked.

"Were you eavesdropping!"

"I couldn't help it. You were talking really loudly."

"Ugh," she groaned. "Just some friends, is that okay with you?"

He shrugged his shoulders, "Sure."

"Really?"

"Yeah, I remember you telling me how lonely you get staying in this house with no one to talk to. Well other than me, so . . . I guess you can hang out with your buddies," he replied.

"That's so nice of you," she smiled.

He nodded. "But after you clean this house completely. I want it spotless."

"Of course, Boss," she stated through her teeth. Her eyes observed his outfit and placed her hands against her hips. "Where are you going, Richard Simmons?"

He gave her a look. "Nice joke there, genius. I'm going for a run around the neighborhood. I'd ask you to join me, but I don't think you can keep up."

She scoffed, amazed by his comeback. "I carried you up the fucking stairs. I'm sure I could keep up with your-,"she glanced at his butt and noticed how tight it was and shook away the ridiculous thoughts. "Weak ass," she finished.

Nathan couldn't help but smirk at the way she grew flustered at the sight of him. She wasn't really good at being subtle. He definitely saw her check him out. "Right," he replied. "Well I'm about to head off. Finish cleaning and maybe I'll let you hang out with your friends." He patted her shoulder and led his way down the driveway and onto the sidewalk.

She growled at him and squeezed the rag in her hands and stomped back into the house to continue cleaning.

**

* * *

**

Rachel was sitting on a comfy red couch at one of the magazine buildings for an interview featuring her and a couple of her co-stars. She was a bit upset about Nathan cutting her out of his life completely, but she didn't let it affect her job. Even if he was one of her best friends, she knew at some point that Nathan was going to come crawling back to her. He always did. This was just one of their fights, just an even more intense one.

Nancy handed her a bottle of water before one of the interviewers sat across from her with a recorder and a clipboard in hand.

"Welcome to Charlotte, Miss Gatina," she lady greeted.

Rachel smiled and shook the woman's hand. She crossed her legs and placed her hands gracefully on her lap.

"How do you like the city?"

"I love it here," she stated. "I've been here a few times, even before I became famous."

"Really? This isn't your first time here?"

"Oh no. I came here for a photo shoot when I was modeling and there was just something about this city that I loved so much. I don't think I could ever forget it. I have so many memories in this place."

"Could it be the fact that your man lives here?"

Rachel's eyes widened and shook her head. "I just love the people. That's all." It was obvious that the interviewer was trying to get some information about the rumors that were going around. She was smart enough to not even say a word. Even one word or sentence can be used in a completely different way in a magazine. It would be completely out of context, so Rachel remained silent.

"So the rumors about your hotel boyfriend aren't true?"

She let out a fake laugh. "Rumors are just rumors."

**

* * *

**

While Nathan was jogging down the sidewalk a street away from his house, he noticed a familiar car drive past him. He stopped in his tracks and glanced at the man in the behind the wheel. _It was Jake_.

"Where is he going?" Nathan questioned himself, and turned around to jog back home. He didn't call him about coming over, so what was he doing?

As Haley was vacuuming the inside of the couch, she heard a card door close from the front. She turned off the vacuum and hurried over to the window and found Jake climbing out of the car. Her eyes furrowed and glanced at the clock.

_It's not even ten yet._ _What's he doing here so early?_

As she watched him carefully, she noticed a golden envelope in his hand as he walked up to the front steps. She tilted her head in curiosity and stood by the door, waiting for him to door bell or knock. When he did, she took a few seconds to open it so she didn't seem so anxious.

She swung the door open with a smile. "Jake!" she greeted.

"Hey," he replied. "Are you busy?" he asked, glancing behind her and found a vacuum.

"Oh not at all," she laughed dryly. "I'm just vacuuming the living room because I _like_ it."

He chuckled. "Right, well. I wanted to come over to give you this." He held out the golden envelope that she saw in his hands and glanced at the fancy writing.

"Wedding invitation?" she questioned.

"Yeah, I want you to come," he smirked. "It's in one and a half weeks, so find a nice dress to wear or I'll buy you one."

Shocked, she slowly looked up at him. "Dress?"

"I bet you'd look pretty in one. If you don't have anything to wear, I'll let you go on a shopping spree. It's all on me."

"I can't let you do that," she answered, aware of Jake's flirty compliments. "I'd love to go, but I'll probably be working that day."

"Nathan will be there. I can convince him to let you go especially when you're my date."

"What?"

He nodded, and looked around the house he created and said, "My mom wants me to bring a date to the wedding. She wants someone lovely and conservative. Not trampy and covered in tattoos." His eyes fell back on her. "And I thought of you."

"You want me to be your date? I don't think Nathan will let me go to the wedding. You know how he is- so demanding about having his precious house cleaned and his laundry done. If he finds out that I'm going to the wedding, he'll probably make up stupid reasons for me to stay like – I don't know- retile his kitchen floor, or something of that sort."

Again, she made Jake laugh. "Then let's keep it a secret," he whispered. "Don't tell him anything about it."

"Wouldn't he be at the wedding though, he'd bust a nut if he saw me there."

"Well, he'll get over it."

She slowly put on a smile and glanced at the beautiful invitation. "Then I guess I'm going!"

"That's what I wanted to hear," he replied. "Well, I just wanted give this to you personally before I head back to wedding planning with my mother," he added, obviously annoyed that he had to be stuck with wedding preparations instead of Billy. Since he was off on a business trip, Jake had to replace him.

"I'll try to find a pretty dress," Haley stated.

"I still have that shopping spree offer, so anytime you need it, just call me."

She nodded and said their goodbyes before he stepped down towards his car. As he was about to enter his vehicle, they both spotted Nathan jogging up the driveway. She quickly hid the invitation under her shirt and walked back inside.

"Where are you going?" Nathan asked as he stepped next to Jake.

"I'm going back to the hotel. I just needed to tell Haley something," he answered.

"Why couldn't you have called her?" he replied curiously.

Jake looked at Nathan's face and smirked. "I needed to tell her this personally."

"What did you say?" he questioned again, curious to know what his visit was for.

"I'll talk to you later," Jake replied, ignoring his question and climbed inside his car.

"What, you can't tell me what you told her? You have secrets now?" Nathan asked, as he watched Jake shake his head at him and drove off.

He scoffed; stunned that his cousin refused to tell him why he was here. He glanced at the house and noticed Haley vacuuming the living room. His eyes furrowed, and all of a sudden grew interested in their blossoming friendship.

He jogged back up the steps and shut the door, startling Haley from cleaning.

"What was he doing here?" he asked.

She glanced up at him and noticed the little sweat on his neck. "He just wanted to say hi," she lied.

"Just hi?"

"Yeah, just hi," she nodded with an annoyed face. "What's the big deal?"

"Why would he come here to tell you hi? There's got to be a reason."

She quickly finished vacuuming the last of the dirt in the couch and positioned the cushion back to its rightful place. "It was nothing, Nathan. He just wanted to tell me something personally. Don't pop a blood vessel."

He huffed out a rough breath and observed her as she turned to the next couch. She removed the cushions from it and placed them on top of each other on the floor.

"You two have been really close lately," he stated.

"Yeah and so?" she replied, not even taking once glance at him. "Are you jealous?"

Nathan stood there stunned. "Jealous? Yeah right, why would I be jealous of him?"

"I don't know," she answered as she picked up a penny from the creases of the couch. "You're acting like you're jealous."

He chuckled dryly, obviously trying to hide the truth even if he didn't know about it yet. "He's my cousin. I just wanted to know why he came over. I thought he was here for me, but instead he came for you, my personal assistant."

"Mmmhmm, if that's what you think."

"Just-," he began furiously," – keep cleaning! I'm going to get a drink of water."

She paused from the couch, and watched him disappear into the kitchen. She couldn't help but be amused by his random questionnaire. It was pretty obvious that Nathan was curious about her friendship with Jake.

**

* * *

**

"This is exciting, isn't it, Luke?" Brooke asked as they drove on the highway to Charlotte.

"Yeah, I'm surprised that Haley actually let us visit," he responded as he switched lanes behind a blue car.

"I know right? Hopefully they'll have a nice place where Marley can sleep."

"That's why we brought the crib, babe. But I'm sure that they have some place for toddlers. It's a five star hotel, they have everything."

"That's true," she stated. "I bet Haley's loving the luxury life right now."

"I bet that she hates it. Remember she used to live that way before she moved out?"

"If only she never got in that fight with her dad, then maybe she wouldn't have to worry about her stupid rent."

"It was her choice, Brooke. She was miserable then."

"I wouldn't be miserable if I were her," she groaned and glanced at the backseat to check on her sleeping daughter.

"Well you're different. You're the kind of person who'd enjoy a whole lifetime in riches with a smile even if you had no friends."

"Hey!" she snapped, looking away from Marley. "That's not true. I'd rather have this family and loving friends than a bunch of jewels and money. You know that?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "But I know you dream about it all the time."

"I do not."

"Yes you do," he laughed. "You always whisper 'money, money, money' around midnight while you sleep."

She lightly slapped him on the shoulder and said, "You're such a liar!"

**

* * *

**

Haley had just finished sweeping Nathan's room and the stairs when she realized that he hadn't even left for work yet. So she stopped cleaning for a second and observed him reading a newspaper in the living room – probably the sports section.

"Aren't you supposed to be at work?" she asked. "It's almost twelve."

He looked up from the paper, and glanced at his watch. "Oh, I'm taking a day off."

"Oh right, I forgot," she nodded. "You finished everything early."

"Yup," he replied without looking at her and continued reading.

Haley dragged the broom across the floor and hovered over the couch to see what he was reading.

"Who's winning?" she asked.

"Who's winning what?"

"You know, the team who's . . . playing that sport with the ball," she replied.

Nathan grew puzzled and slowly turned around and met up with her face above him. "What are you doing?"

"I'm done cleaning and they haven't even called me if they're here yet. I have nothing to do."

He placed the newspaper back on the coffee table and thought about something.

"Cook something."

"Cook? That's the last thing that I want do."

"I'll help you. Since it's my day off and you're friends are coming to visit, let's cook them dinner."

"You want me to invite them over?"

"What? Is that a bad idea?" he asked.

She thought about her friends, and knowing what they know about her, she was afraid that they'd say something. Like the fact that she's actually from a wealthy family or that she had a famous father. If he found out that fact, he would definitely get pissed off especially since she was mooching off him when she could've easily asked her father for money. And she really didn't want that to happen.

"No, it's not a bad idea, but-"

"But what?" he cut in. "Are they hustlers too?"

She scoffed. "Excuse me? Don't you dare say that anything about my friends."

"I was just asking. If they are, don't invite them, but if they aren't, call them up and tell them to come over."

"Fine, I'll call them." She slowly turned away and placed the broom back in the closet. Then she remembered Nathan's Ramen noodles and wondered if he could make something better than that. So she walked back over to the couch where he sat and asked, "Can you cook? Like really cook?"

"I can make pizza," he answered.

"Putting frozen pizza in an oven doesn't count," she retorted.

"Well if you help me, then I could learn. You know how to cook."

She looked at him and smirked. "Then let's go grocery shopping. You don't have any of the ingredients I need."

"How do you know?"

"I've raided your pantry and fridge since I've been here, Nathan. I think I know every single condiment you have."

He raised his eyebrows at her and chuckled out loud. "Fine, let's go."

**

* * *

**

"We need some of this," Haley stated as she grabbed a pack of tortillas. "And this," grabbing a pack of mozzarella cheese.

"What are you planning on making?" he asked, pushing a cart around while Haley added all different kinds of ingredients for the dinner tonight.

"I'm making chicken and cheese enchiladas. So hopefully you're not allergic to anything."

"I'm not," he replied. He looked to his side and noticed Haley skipping towards the meat section and grabbed a packet of boneless chicken. She looked too happy to be picking up a pack of meat. With her stomach and eating habits, it wasn't so surprising. She probably smelt it from miles away.

He pushed the cart next to her as she placed the packet on top of everything else.

"I think that's about it," Haley said as she glanced at the items in the cart. "We have everything especially the dessert. Oh! I can't forget." She ran quickly down the store, glancing in between aisles. He looked at her oddly, wondering why she was prancing around a grocery store like it was her play house. Then she disappeared.

He looked around and followed her path. There was no sight of Haley at the desserts section, chips sections, not even the dog section, but when he went down the baby section, he found her ogling over some Gerber food. He grew curious at the sight and wondered if she had a baby back home that her friends were bringing along.

"Baby food?" he questioned, as he came up to her.

"Yeah, it's for my God daughter," she answered, picking up a jar of apple sauce. "My best friends can't leave her, you know."

Relieved to hear that she didn't have any baggage, he asked, "They have a baby?"

"Yep," she replied, adding a few jars into the cart. "She's six months old. She so cute," she smiled. "Is that a problem?"

He imagined his kitchen filled with baby bottles and half empty jars of apple sauce. The sight of throw up made him cringe. "No, that's fine," he lied.

She lifted an eyebrow at his disgusted expression and smiled. "Okay, then. Let's get going. I want to get this dinner started!"

After checking out everything, they both headed back to his SUV – a car that was big enough for groceries. When they finally went back to his house, they started grabbing all the bags inside. When Haley came back outside to the trunk, the cans out of peaches fell through a hole and rolled down the driveway to the streets.

"Great!" she groaned. As she placed the broken bag back into the trunk, she chased after the cans. Nathan just finished placing half of the groceries inside when he noticed Haley standing in the middle of the road. And there was a car speeding by, so he quickly ran over to her and pulled her out of the way while the car screeched to a halt at the sight of them, but then continued to drive along.

They both rolled towards the curb of the sidewalk, and groaned from the pain on their shoulders. He held her close to him when he pulled her away from the street, like he was afraid of her getting hurt. He quickly sat up to see if she was okay.

"Ow," she groaned.

He looked at her, watching her wince at some kind of pain that he wasn't aware of and asked, "Are you okay?" With his hands holding her close, his back aching, he wandered his eyes around to see what was hurting her.

She slowly sat up from the rocky road, and lifted her arm. There was a gash on her forearm that was bleeding and stinging at the same time. Along with the discomfort of her wound, she felt something electric between their bodies which scared her. There was even warmth developing in her chest because of the touch of his hands on her back. Ignoring the pain, she grabbed the cans of peaches and stood up to cross the street.

"Hey!" he shouted after her. He watched her grab the rest of the ingredients and hurried up the steps. There was no telling what was going on with her, but all he knew was that he was worried. He shut the trunk and locked his car before he headed back into the house after her.

She winced at the cut on her arm as she began to prepare the ingredients. He walked in, full of concern, when he noticed the blood streaming down her skin. He quickly grabbed her by the wrist and observed the wound.

"What was that all about?" he asked. "Are you trying to get killed?"

She quickly pulled her arm away from him and continued grouping everything together on the counter.

"Haley, you are hurt! Do you not feel any pain?" he asked again, watching her.

"It doesn't hurt. You're just overreacting," she replied, walking over to the cupboards to grab a pan. "You didn't have to do that over there."

"There was a speeding car, what else am I supposed to do?" He ripped off a paper towel, watered it and pulled her away from the counter. He lightly cleaned off the blood that was drying on her arm.

She observed him as he wiped her wound and began to admire the creases in his forehead. It was always there when he was confused, startled, sad, or scared. It showed so much emotion, so much negativity like it was his signature expression. And all she wanted to do was smooth her fingers across it so he didn't look so grouchy.

"You know, I've never got so many wounds at one time before," she stated, glancing back at her knee where she slipped by the pool.

"It's because you don't know how to take care of yourself. You're a born klutz," he replied. "Be right back." He quickly hurried over to the bathroom to grab the familiar first aid kit and came back with a band aid and medicine.

"Don't you have two feet?" he asked, dabbing on the painful medicine above the opened wound.

She winced at the stinging sensation and answered, "Of course I do."

"Then why can't you keep yourself away from harm? You know how to deceive people, but you can't stray from solid surfaces?"

"Maybe it's because of you," she stated. He slowly looked away from her arm and met up with her eyes. He grew curious from her answer. "You're moodiness keeps me from thinking straight because it's so annoying," she continued causing him to shake his head at her response and placed a band aid over it.

"There," he stated. "Let's hope that this is the last time you'll ever get hurt."

"I'll try," she replied as he walked back to the counter. Looking at her arm and smoothing her fingers along the band aid, she remembered a memorable time when she was younger.

"When I was eight years old, I had so many scabs and cuts because I was just learning how to ride my bike." Nathan looked away from ingredients as she spoke and listened. "And there was this time where I was riding around my drive way. I was still kind of shaky, but I thought I was a pro. So I decided to try it with no hands. And I fell, scraping my knee and my elbow in the process. I think I cried instantly after that," she laughed, embarrassed at the memory.

"See, born klutz," he stated with a smirk.

She ignored him and continued on with her story. "My mom was there. I could still remember the look of panic on her face when she saw the blood on my skin. She wiped my eyes, blew on my wounds, and said the exact same thing you told me. _This better be the last time you'll ever get hurt._ Since then, I never gained a single scratch on my body . . . until now," she laughed.

"Then it means you won't get hurt for a while since I told you that," he replied.

She rolled her eyes and smiled. "I don't think it's going to work with you saying it. She said it differently."

He leaned forward against the counter and grew curious. "Did she have magical powers or something?"

"Close," she replied. "She loved me."

_Love._ The thought of it scared him.

When she said that, his eyes shot up to glance at her with a strange flicker inside of his chest. Sitting there with a band aid on her arm and the sad expression on her face – which he hasn't seen on her before – made him realize how fragile she actually was. He never thought of her in that way.

"It's not like you love me," she laughed, sneaking a peek at his expression, wanting to know how he reacted to that.

He let out a dry chuckle. "Come cook your enchiladas. Your friends might be here soon," he ordered, quickly changing the subject.

**

* * *

**

"Where did Haley say her boss lived?" Lucas asked as they drove around Charlotte. They arrived a few hours early and they called Haley so they could meet up, but since Nathan suggested they have a dinner together, she forced them to drive around town until the meal was cooked.

"She said somewhere around this neighborhood," Brooke pointed out. He turned the corner and discovered a large amount of gigantic houses. Both were bewildered at the sight of all the mansions and beautiful landscapes on each piece of land.

"Damn," Lucas exclaimed as he observed every house as he passed them.

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Brooke stated. "She said his house wasn't hard to find. It stands out like a sore thumb." So they continued to drive along the street until they finally found the house with a slanted roof, tall glass windows, and an abstract shape. "This. Is. Where. She's. living?" obviously stunned by the artsy mansion before her eyes. "You have got to be kidding me!"

"This looks like something you'd see in a Picasso painting," Lucas stated.

"I don't have the right outfit! I need to find Victoria Beckham so I can steal her dress!"

"You look fine. We're just having dinner, not going to a cocktail party."

From inside, Nathan and Haley were fixing up the dining table with the main meal and appetizers. It wasn't so bad to learn off each other while cooking. Even if they did bicker in between flipping the chickens and stirring the sauce, they actually enjoyed each other's company. Nathan learned a few tips about boiling and simmering, chopping and slicing. If only he learned this before then he wouldn't to go out to restaurants to eat dinner. Even then, he had no one to eat with, but now that Haley was around, he wasn't so lonely anymore.

The door bell rang and Haley quickly placed the last plate on the table.

"They're here," she jumped. "Pour the sauce over the enchiladas," she ordered and quickly ran to the front door.

As she opened the entrance revealing her best friends, she noticed the surprised expressions on their faces. They were in complete awe over the place.

"Hey, Cinderella!" Brooke greeted, embracing her into the tightest hug possible. Lucas stepped in to do the same as he handed the stroller to Brooke. Her best friend glanced at Haley's outfit and lifted her eyebrows. "What are you wearing?" She had on the red tank top and jean shorts that Jake bought her. She had been wearing it often since she really didn't have any clothes to put on.

"Obviously nothing compared to what you're wearing," Haley stated, glancing at Brooke's fancy dress. Marley even wore something nice. "I didn't think you'd be dressed up for dinner," she stated.

"You never told us it was going to be casual. I was worried that I was underdressed."

"Apparently, you're over dressed," Lucas stated, wearing his polo shirt and jeans.

She ignored her husband and observed the house some more. "I can't believe this is where you're staying." Brooke leaned her head back to glance at the large painting on the wall.

"Yep, please don't act too naïve," Haley ordered. "I'm begging you both to not say anything about my background, okay?" she whispered.

"What do you mean?" Brooke questioned, glancing at her.

"You know," Haley mumbled through her teeth.

"Oh," Lucas nodded. "I know what she's talking about." His wife was clearly confused so he whispered it in her ear about Haley's wealthy background and her father.

"Gotcha! I have my lips zipped." As she said that, Nathan stepped out of the kitchen wearing nothing but a regular t shirt and jeans. To her surprise, Brooke expected a man in a suit, her expectations were wrong. But she did noticed how extremely attractive he was.

"Hi, I'm Nathan," he greeted, he grinned.

Brooke quickly stepped closer to Haley and whispered, "He is hoooot!"

Haley elbowed her away and gave her the meanest glare. Nathan chuckled at the sight and led them all into the dining room where the delicious smell of Mexican food filled.

Nathan and Haley sat next to each other while Brooke and Lucas sat across from them. It was kind of awkward at first because her best friends weren't really acquainted with Nathan. They were both kind of intimidated by his wealth, well Brooke was. Lucas was irritated by the way Brooke was acting around him – almost like he was jealous of the guy.

Then soon enough they started to eat the delicious food that Nathan and Haley created and began to talk about Nathan's home, Marley, the hotel, and then Haley's financial issues which made Haley a bit uncomfortable.

"She's done this before," Brooke smiled.

"What? Black mailed someone?" Nathan asked.

"No, she's always been on the verge of getting evicted a billion times. But oddly, she never fails to pay for her rent because she's always coming up with stupid schemes like this."

"Brooke," Haley stated through her teeth.

"I'm not surprised, she's really good a conniving people," Nathan stated as he looked over at her.

She scowled at him and picked at her food. Lucas scooped a spoon full of apple sauce and fed it to Marley.

"I think it's a good thing that Haley can deceive people so well," Luke stated.

"Why is that?"

"Because if she didn't, she'd probably be on the streets by now, and I know that I don't want to see that happening any time soon," he answered, glancing at Nathan seriously, hoping he got the message. It was obvious that Lucas was very protective of Haley. She was like a little sister to him, and he never wanted to see her hurt. Although she was a very strong-willed woman, he didn't like it when she was having some issues with money or life in general. And now that he's seen her boss, he was completely aware of his motives. He was still a man after all. And realizing that Haley was living under the same roof as a man that looked like Nathan, he knew something might happen.

Nathan nodded and again, glanced at Haley who was visibly feeling uneasy. He didn't want to see her on the streets either.

"You know Haley wants to be a successful photographer," Brooke stated.

"I know," he replied, remembering the photos she took of them. "She has a keen eye for that kind of stuff."

"Oh right, I forgot that she took pictures of you and Rachel."

"Which she will never reveal to anyone because I'm paying her not to," Nathan stated.

"They are a pretty great threat to use on him," she replied. "He get's so flustered when I talk about posting them on the internet," she laughed as she reached over to pinch him in the cheek. He glared at her and quickly poked her in the head.

"Hey!" she retorted.

Brooke and Lucas looked at them strangely, noticing their little banter. It looked more playful than hateful.

"Are they going to say anything?" he whispered over his shoulder.

"No, you can trust them," she replied.

Overhearing their conversation, Brooked cut in and said, "Don't worry. Your secret will never be revealed."

Haley still hasn't told them that Nathan and Rachel weren't really a couple. She didn't want reveal so much information about Nathan's personal life to them. All they knew is that she black mailed him into giving her a job by threatening him with photos that could affect his career.

"So where are you two staying?" Nathan asked.

"We don't really know, we're still deciding on a hotel," Lucas replied. "Unless you want to offer us a room."

Haley quickly kicked Lucas on the shin under the table causing him to wince. "Don't listen to them. I'm sure they can find another place to stay."

"Hey, it's fine. I'd be happy to give them a room."

"Huh?" she responded, shocked. "Why?"

"They're your friends. If they want to have a nice stay in Charlotte, they should definitely stay at the Regalien."

Haley hated the idea. She really didn't want them meddling into her job. Jake and Rachel were staying at the hotel and Nathan worked there. There was a possibility that something could slip from their mouths. Plus, they were obviously taking advantage of the situation.

"It would be a good experience for Haley," Brooke stated.

"You know what else could be a good experience? You two finding another hotel to stay in. Somewhere you can afford."

"I can pay for half of it," Nathan offered.

"What?"

"How sweet of you!"

"Wow, thanks man! Our daughter, Marley, would love that."

"No problem. I'll call up my assistant at the office and ask her to book a room for you two."

"Wait!" Haley cried out as she pulled on his arm, but he wiggled it out and headed for the living room.

As soon as he left, her head snapped over to her best friends with the deadliest glare they have ever seen.

"What are you two doing? I told you not to be so naïve!"

"Haley, he offered it. We didn't beg for it," Brooke replied. "He's really nice. He's not grouchy at all. I don't see what you see. Rachel is a lucky girl."

She rolled her eyes and shook her head. "You were supposed to refuse the offer. Now it looks like we're all schemers. Stop taking advantage of the situation. You don't have any reason to."

"He's paying half of it, how could we refuse that?" Lucas stated.

"Easy, say NO!"

"How many days are you planning on staying here?" Nathan called out from the living room.

"TWO!" they both yelled in unison.

"I'm going to kill you both," Haley threatened.

"You're going to love us later when you're done working here," Brooke smiled.

"And why is that?" Haley asked, completely drained from their visit.

"We'll never tell."

"Geez, I love you! Thanks for telling so much information there, Brookie," she replied, using her dry humor.

"Stop being like that, Hales," Brooke begged.

"I have it booked at the hotel. It's under my name so when you get there, just say that you're my guests and they'll give you the key and hotel room," Nathan informed as he walked back into the dining room and settled himself back beside Haley.

"That's great! I'm so excited!" Clapping her hands, Haley stabbed the last of her enchilada with her fork, startling everyone in the process.

"This was a great dinner, you guys. Really delicious," Lucas complimented. "But I think we better head off. Our daughter is getting really tired."

"Yeah, thank you again for the meal and the hotel, Nathan," Brooke stated as everyone stood up from their seats to leave. Lucas held the stroller in his hands as they all walked to the front.

"It was nice meeting you all," Nathan stated.

"You too, and we'll see you later, Hales. Don't cause too much trouble," Brooke advised as she came in for an embrace.

"Keep her from harm," Lucas stated to Nathan. "And thanks again."

"I hope you enjoy your stay at the Regalien!"

When they finally disappeared from the driveway, Haley flopped backwards on to the couch and groaned into her palms. Nathan walked over to the couch with his hands in his pockets and smirked at her.

"They aren't different from you," he stated.

"What's that supposed to mean?" she asked, her hands still on her face.

"They came in here knowing I was rich and took advantage of my kindness by asking me for a hotel room."

"That doesn't sound familiar to me."

"I remember that time when I helped you get out of a ticket and in return, you asked me for gas money because you thought I was nice enough to give it to you?"

She quickly sat up on the couch and looked at him. "You didn't even give me the money. You gave them a freaking hotel room!"

"They seemed nice," he replied, turning away to go pick up the dishes.

She punched the cushion beneath her and followed him into the dining room. He stacked the dishes on top of each other while Haley grabbed all the utensils. And they both walked over to the sink.

"I told them not to do that, but no, they still did it anyways," she complained as she started the faucet. She noticed that Nathan was still standing next to her with a sponge in his hand. "What are you doing?"

Pouring soap onto the sponge, he said, "What does it look like I'm doing?"

She grew surprised. "I never knew that Princesses like you would want to wash dishes."

He made a face at the Princess comment and wet the sponge until it foamed. "I thought it'd be nice. Since I helped cook dinner, I might as well help clean the plates."

Haley was impressed. He was becoming a softy and she kind of liked it. He was no longer as cold and stiff as he used to be. She watched him as he made slow circles along the plates to wipe off the gunk on it and couldn't help but laugh.

"Why are you cleaning them so slowly?"

"Is that the wrong way?"

"It'd be quicker if you scrubbed it faster," she advised while taking the plate from him and wiping it clean. "If you wash dishes at your pace, you'd get wrinkly fingers. No one wants wrinkly fingers." She put the dish she was working on under the faucet and placed it on the dry rack.

"I've never had to hand wash them before," he stated. "I depend on the dishwasher to do all the cleaning."

"Sometimes those machines don't clean them all the way. So it's better to hand wash them. Now you do it."

He did exactly what she did while she placed them under the faucet and added them on the dry rack. And they did that over and over until all the dishes were done.

"Wonderful! You've successfully cleaned dishes!" Haley smiled as she patted him on the back. Then she glanced over at the table and noticed some apple sauce and meat on it. "Oh, the table's dirty. I think since you're on a roll, you should wipe the counters. Now all you have to do is get a spray bottle and-"

"I'm not that stupid, Haley. I know how to clean the tables."

She nodded, and heard knocks at the door. "I'll get that. Just wipe the tables, Boss."

Nathan chuckled as he watched her skip away from the kitchen. He grabbed the spray bottle and rag then walked over to the table to clean it off.

At front, Haley glanced at her watch and wondered who could be visiting at this hour. It was probably Jake because he had the tendency to show up whenever he liked or it could be her best friends asking for directions since Charlotte was a pretty big city. But by surprise, she revealed someone that didn't even cross her mind.

When she swung the door opened, Rachel was already speaking as she kept her eyes focuses on a container of food in her hands. "I thought I'd surprise you with food, so I came by to-"she looked up and noticed Haley standing there, just as shocked as she was.

"Um, hi," Haley greeted nervously.

"Is Nathan home?" Rachel asked, curious as to why some girl was at his house at this hour especially wearing a red tank top and blue jean shorts.

"Y-yeah he's in the kitchen," she replied.

"You can go –" Rachel stepped inside before Haley could finish and walked towards the kitchen.

_This is not good at all! _Closing the door, she followed Rachel.

"Haley who's at the door?" Nathan called out, wiping the table. When he heard foot steps by the entrance, he turned around and found his ex best friend standing there as if she saw a ghost.

"Rachel? What are you doing here?"

"I came by to surprise you with some food I had at the set, but obviously you already ate," she replied.

* * *

_**What you do you think? Ask me questions and I'll be happy to answer them. Keep my inspired!**_


	8. Lie 8

_**A/N: **_Hi my lovelies. I'm sorry that I didn't get to update yesterday. I was busy. I had to go to a baby shower and went out swimming for the day. I also wanted write a chapter or two so I could update more often without delaying. And yes to the question about why I update daily. Before I posted the story, I already had about six or seven chapters written. I couldn't handle updating weekly because then I knew ya'll would lose interest and that's irritating to wait on a new update. Trust me I know! lol When I was a reader way back when, I'd wait days for a new update on one of my favorite stories and then when they never updated, I just fell sad. haha. I got over it though. So I hope I didn't keep you waiting. I am very blessed to have such amazing readers like ya'll. I get so giddy reading all your reviews. And to see that some of you even decided to read my other stories is so awesome to hear. I am so glad that some of you also enjoy my other story **Steadfast**. Yes, it's really southerny (if that's even a word). I didn't think it would come off as similar to Ronnie and Will from The Last Song. I actually have that book. I just never finished it. I lost interest once I read like half of it. I was waiting for the climax, but I'm guessing it doesn't happen until the end. I wanted that intensity! I didn't get it. But I'll finish it later, I guess.

I thought it was funny,**23bNrAuLcEaYs**, that FF cut you off in the middle of your review. haha. How cute! Also to answer your question again, I actually trained myself to write fast chapters. It takes practice and a lot of sitting and thinking to come up with good material. My ass even gets numb every now and then. ^_^ It's not easy coming up with ideas for new chapters with that annoying cursor blinking at you. eek. And I don't think Peyton will be coming up any time soon. I just don't know what I would do with her character. But I know that I will use her somehow in the end of the story. I am also sorry for leaving you on a cliff hanger! You got to love those, right? Again, I am very thankful for all your motivating words and your "fantastic writer" compliments. I'll make sure that it won't boost my ego. :) I love all of my readers! Here's the next chappy. I hope you enjoy! _**Keep my inspired!**_

_**Annie.  
**_

* * *

**Chapter 8 "Lie 8"**

Nathan slowly stopped wiping the tables because of the shock that overwhelmed his body at the sight of Rachel by the entrance. Does she seriously think that things are fine again? He told her that their friendship was done and now she's here acting as if everything was okay. She shouldn't be getting mad at him.

"Why are you here?" he asked, roughly.

She placed the container she was holding on top of the counter and said, "I wanted to visit you."

"I don't think you understand what I'm asking here," Nathan replied. "I told you that I was done."

"It was just another one of our fights, Nate. We can be friends again."

Nathan glanced at Haley by the entrance and signaled her to leave for a second so he could talk to Rachel. Once she disappeared, he shook his head in astonishment. This wasn't going to be like old times again. A habit has to go away sometimes.

"I think you should leave right now," he ordered.

"Come on, Nathan. I know you didn't mean it when you said our friendship was over. I was mad for a little bit, but I'm not anymore. So let's hang out again. I'm not going to be here long, you know."

"Then that's good for me then. I don't have to see your face anymore."

She looked at him puzzled. "Really? You have to be that way? Would you just stop being childish, Nathan, and understand that we can still be friends despite our feelings."

"No we can't," he snapped, walking away from the table and towards the fridge to grab himself a bottle of water. "I feel like I keep repeating myself, but honestly, I ended our friendship because I wanted to get rid of you. Because I was tired of feeling miserable and vulnerable to you. And being around you all the time wasn't helping me."

She scoffed. "Is it because you found some one else to replace me? Who was that girl anyways?"

He took a quick swig from the bottle and thought about Haley. "She's just a friend."

"Really? What's she doing at your house at this hour?"

"Is it really any of your business?"

Rachel's jaw tightened, obviously aware of Nathan's attitude towards her. "You've really turned into a total jackass, you know that?"

"I've been told," he replied. He was reminded every single day by Haley, but it really didn't affect him as much as it used to. He actually grew immune to it.

"Are you trying to be my enemy?"

"No, I'm not," he replied, letting out a deep sigh from the stress that was now overwhelming him. "I just need space from you."

"How much space?"

"A lot," he snapped. Although he was trying to get rid of her, and supposedly acted like he didn't care about her, he was still protecting her. From the public, the rumors, the crazy people. He was paying Haley so that she wouldn't reveal the photos. If that meant that he didn't care, he didn't know what did.

"For how long?" she asked.

"I don't know. I just can't find myself looking at you without feeling rejected. I mean, you look at me as a friend, while I've been looking at you as a lover and it kills me to realize that over and over again. But that doesn't mean I don't care about you or think you mean nothing to me. You mean a lot, but I just can't see you anymore . . . for a while at least."

"I have two weeks left here, Nathan. And you're not going to spend it with me?" she questioned. He shook his head no. She bit her bottom lip and breathed in deeply.

"I have so much going on in the next few weeks. I'll be too busy."

"Really? Is it because of that girl you have hiding somewhere in this house?"

Nathan grew frustrated at the fact that he kept mentioning Haley as "that girl" like she wasn't even human. He was definitely not going to tell her why she was here because that was supposed to be a secret.

"Look," he began, ignoring her question. "Just understand this. Maybe in the future when I finally get over you, we can be friends again, but for now, we can't be friends at all."

She groaned again, upset that he wasn't giving in as easily as he did before. He used to always say 'okay' when she asked if they were fine again, or he would apologize for being rude to her, but now he's changed. He's different. She could tell that he was losing interest in her. And even Nathan realized that as well.

It was probably from the advice Haley had given him that one night. He really took it to heart and tried to follow it. And somehow it was working.

"_I took it day by day no matter how hard it was to forget. And I told myself that things will get better if I just surround myself with loving, positive people and think about how much better life is when I'm happy. Being sad over someone is selfish and stupid. It's just another reason for someone to pity you. My mother always told me that if someone can't love me back, someone else will in some part of this world. And knowing that made me feel better." _

"I won't forgive you for this," Rachel stated, hoping that it would snap him out of his new change.

"Then I'll have to live with it," he replied. She scoffed and tried to search for some kind of sign that showed he was lying to her. But unfortunately, he wasn't kidding. Not one bit. "So I think you should leave right now," he said nicely.

"Nathan," she begged.

"Rachel, do you want me to kick you out myself?"

"You've already done that," she snapped, roughly grabbing the container of food from the counter and turned the corner to the hallway. As she did, she glanced at Haley who was hiding against the wall and glared at her like she was the demon, then slammed the door shut.

With her gone, Haley lightly peeked her head out to see if it was okay to enter the kitchen again especially after all that negative energy.

"Is it safe to walk in?" she asked. She saw him nod his head and confirmed that as a yes and walked over beside him. Just by looking at his expression, she could tell that he took it well. She knew his every mood just by glancing at his face. Living in the same house for three straight weeks does that to you.

"You know, when I ended my friendship with her last week, I thought I made the biggest mistake of my life," he began, holding the bottle of water in his hand. "But today, I felt like it was the best decision I've made in a while."

Haley nodded. She was proud of him for stepping up and getting rid of a habit that only hurt him. Even if it meant losing a friendship, he needed to come into terms with his own self and to know that he needed to have things that only brought him happiness. If he couldn't find himself happy with even a friendship with Rachel, then it was obvious that their friendship wasn't written to last.

"You're making progress, Boss," she smiled, placing a hand against his shoulder. "You're also getting less and less annoying now that you're not so depressed anymore."

He let out a soft chuckle and rolled his eyes at her. "Well, I better head to bed. We both have work in the morning."

He put his bottle of water back into the fridge and walked past her. And suddenly, electricity ignited from the way their shoulders brushed, causing both of them to shiver. It was an odd feeling that they've never experienced before. Nathan stopped for a second before he exited the kitchen, and tried to comprehend the shock. But he shook it away and continued walking to his room.

"Good night, Haley," he called out while climbing up the stairs.

"Good night,' she yelled back and stayed in the kitchen for a bit longer. Moving her hand across her shoulder, she started to recall all the events of today. Standing there, she thought of the way he made faces at her while she cleaned the windows, the way he asked questions about Jake like a jealous boyfriend, their grocery shopping adventure, the way he saved her from the speeding car, teaching him how to cook and clean, him actually getting along with her best friends and even offering them a hotel room, and the way he stood up for himself to Rachel. And everything that happened between them before made her heart race. She couldn't deny it anymore. It was now impossible to ignore. It wasn't going to go away anymore. It was there.

**

* * *

**

"Oh, wow!" Brooke exclaimed as she walked past the ballroom where many employees were working in. It was the last day of their stay in Charlotte, and they couldn't have been happier with what they experienced. After having dinner in an extravagant home that looked like it was made for Picasso, and sleeping in a luxurious suite with bed and breakfast, they were definitely pleased. They even thought about setting more trips back here.

With Marley in her stroller and Lucas browsing the hotel restaurant, Brooke continued to mesmerize over the beautiful sight of the ballroom. While staring like a stalker, she noticed a handsome young man and a well-dressed, middle aged woman looking at a wedding book.

"Are they getting married?" she questioned. "What a cougar," she smirked as she turned away when she heard Lucas yell out her name.

He jogged up to her and said, "They're having lunch specials right now, so we should hurry and get it while it's hot."

"Can we afford it?" Brooke wondered.

"Yeah, I still have a few hundreds in my wallet."

Brooke sighed. "If Haley stayed with her dad then maybe we could make visits to places more often. But instead she chose to live a middle-class life."

"He hasn't disowned her yet. He's still her father, so Haley's still wealthy. She just refuses to ask him for help," Lucas stated. "But come on, let's not think about what it would be like to live like this and enjoy what we have."

"Yeah," Brooke replied and they all walked towards the restaurant.

By the ballroom, Jake observed the little family after hearing what they said about Haley. He wasn't sure if it was the same one they were talking about, but they looked familiar – like the people from her camera. And it did sound like Haley. Always refusing to ask for help.

"So she's wealthy huh? Then what is she doing here acting like she's poor?" He questioned. He shook away the thoughts and hurried back to his mom when she called out his name.

**

* * *

**

While sitting in his office, staring at a blank wall, his assistant came in. He was completely oblivious to her as he continued to stare at completely nothing. She waved her hands over his eyes to get his attention, but he didn't budge. He couldn't stop picturing Haley's face in his mind. Yesterday seemed all too real for him. He has never experienced so many things with a woman before -grocery shopping, cooking, healing her wounds, laughing with friends. It almost felt like they were an item, but not. No matter how stubborn and childish he thought she was, he couldn't help but find himself infatuated by her presence. The only thing that bothered him about the situation was that he was _just_ getting over Rachel. He couldn't already be falling for someone else especially someone like Haley. He refused to let it happen. Their relationship was strictly about business. _Employer and employee_.

"Sir?"

Nathan shook away from his thoughts and glanced at Emily who had been standing there for quite a while. "Oh, sorry. I didn't see you there," he stated while sitting forward.

She smiled. "I just wanted to say that your father is on the line, and he brought a few documents in the mail," she said, placing a packet on his desk.

"Thank you," he replied. She nodded and exited the office while Nathan answered his phone.

"Dad?"

"Hey Nate, how are you?"

"I'm fine," he answered as he opened the envelope and slid out what seemed to be the floor plan for their new hotel and resort. "Wow, this looks great."

"Oh, do you have the documents with you?"

"Yeah, Emily just gave it to me. These look really good."

"It should be. That's the official floor plan for the hotel. Our architecture has already signed the contract and we're now in the process of making it. Which means that you have to come here in the next month or two to help out," his father stated.

Nathan stopped admiring the documents and looked up. "In the next month or two?"

"Yeah, we have a lot of interviewing, renovating and other negotiations to talk about. And you need to be here for that, Nate."

He sighed deeply. He seriously didn't want to fly over to Europe for a year. Who was going to run the hotels? There was no telling how his mother would feel about him being away for so long. She was already lonely as it is. Other than having his grandmother by her side, her sister was going to be married and return to South Carolina soon, leaving her behind.

"You know what I think would be a good idea?"

"What would that be?"

"I'll fly over to Europe in the next month or two while you stay here in Charlotte."

"Nathan, I have business here."

"And you have a family here especially a wife you should be thinking of."

"I think about her all the time, son."

"Then fly here while I do everything over there. I'll work thrice as hard in Europe in order to get the hotel running," he suggested. "We don't see you enough. It doesn't even seem like you're a part of this family or that you even exist. Phone calls aren't going to keep your relationship with mom stable. You need to be with her."

His father didn't answer instantly. He could tell that he was contemplating over the suggestion in his mind. His son was right; he didn't even seem like a father or a husband to them. He acted more like a co-worker rather than a loved one.

"You'll work thrice as hard, you say?"

Nathan nodded, pleased by his response. "Yes. You know I'll be fine doing all the work on my own."

There was a pause on the other line. His father was still trying to think this through. It wasn't a hard decision to make. It was either work or family. They were already wealthy as it is. Family should always be number one. "Alright, I'll help with the start of things here and then I'll hand them off to you, I guess."

"You will," Nathan demanded with a smirk. "Anyways, are you coming to the wedding?"

"I can't, there's too much to do over here. But give Aunt Cindy my blessings."

"Dad," he started.

"Nathan. I'm already going to fly over there soon, so appreciative what I've given you," he replied.

"Fine."

"So look over the floor plan and read over the documents I sent. Tell your mom that I love her and that I'll see her soon." They both said their goodbyes and hung up. Even if Nathan didn't want to leave America or his family, he was glad that his father finally gave in and decided to become part of the family again.

Returning his attention back to the documents, he couldn't seem to concentrate. He looked out the window and noticed that it was drizzling outside. He let out a deep sigh and leaned back against his chair. Again, his thoughts focused back to Haley. He was beginning to miss her even if he saw her earlier that morning. He liked having her around. She made him feel good. It was easy for her to make him smile whether it was her downing a ton of food or making faces at him when he was rude to her, or just dancing around the house while wiping the tables.

So he quickly grabbed his cell phone and searched for her number. When he reached the title "_Swindler_" he smiled and called it.

Haley was in the middle of putting the clean dishes up when her phone rang. She looked at the ID and couldn't help but grin at the nickname. _Jerk._ She closed the cupboard and quickly answered.

"What do you want?" she greeted in a low tone.

Nathan hesitated to respond at the way she answered it. "Is that how you greet people on the phone?"

"Just to you," she answered as she stacked the plates on top of each other on the counter. "The only times you call me is when you're ordering me to do something. So what is it?"

He heard clanking noises from her side and realized that she was in the middle of something and decided to stop the call. "I'll just call you later."

She quickly paused. "Wait! You called for a reason, so tell me!"

"You're busy so I'll call you later," he answered.

"Nathan!" she whined as she placed the dishes back on the counter. "I'm only busy because you told me to put the dishes up. So why did you call?"

He wasn't quite sure what he was doing. Jake was too busy spending time with his mother for the wedding and Rachel was obviously out of the picture, and he didn't really hang out with his assistant Emily. He scratched the back of his head and replied with, "Come over to the hotel."

"Huh? You want me to go where?"

"You heard what I said, I said come over to the hotel," he replied in frustration.

"Why should I? _You're there_," she complained as she finished putting the last of the dishes.

Nathan quickly grew irritated at her reaction. Even though he really wanted her around, he still had to remember that she hated his guts. She was obviously not interested in spending time with him."Fine, then don't come over!" he retorted, startling Haley in the process. "It's raining and I usually eat mac and cheese with a friend. But since you're busy, never mind."

Haley grew confused and laughed. "Are you a child or something? Did you just make that up or do you really do that?"

"Don't laugh, there's nothing to laugh about."

"Well I think it's funny," she smiled.

Nathan rolled his fist at her amusement, wanting so much to hit something, but instantly jumped at the sound of thunder from his window. "AH!" she heard him cry out.

Haley couldn't help but laugh at the sound of his girly scream and walked up to the fridge. "You're scared of storms, aren't you?" she asked while looking for milk and cheese.

"What? Pshh, no!" he retorted.

"You are," she replied, grabbing the ingredients and walked over to the pantry to grab the macaroni. "Did your mommy make you mac and cheese when there were thunderstorms?" As she had the box in her hand, she quickly equipped a pot full of water.

"I'm a grown man. I'm not scared of storms," he corrected, trying to focus back to the floor plan.

Placing the pot on the stove, she turned it up to high and poured the noodles inside. "You sure sound like you're scared. Do you like salt and pepper on you mac and cheese?" she asked.

When she asked that, he grew curious and surprised. "Are you making it right now?"

"Just answer the question."

"Yeah," he replied.

"Alright. I'll be there in thirty minutes," she said and hung up on her before he could even let out a word. As she watched the water begin to boil, she heard bowling pin-like crashes outside. After listening to the sound, she couldn't help but smile. She thought it was cute to know that he hated thunderstorms, even if Nathan acted like someone who wasn't scared of anything at all.

After cooking the meal and pouring it into a plastic container, she headed out and road a bus to the hotel. She brought herself an umbrella that she found in Nathan's closet and wore a coat that Brooke generously packed for her. While riding in the bus with a few more people, she couldn't help but admire the act of sitting in public transformation with strangers.

She looked to her left and found a teenage boy with a pair of head phones attached to his ear while he nodded his head to the music. Judging by the large sack by his feet, he looked like a runaway. It reminded her of herself. Then she turned to her left and found a girl about her age sleeping against her boyfriend's shoulder. Staring at them, she noticed the tattoo on his arm that said 'Faith'. And she wondered if that was her name, his mom's name, his baby's name, or just symbol to help him remember. Observing the strangers in the bus made her curious about everyone's story and what people thought of when they looked at her. Would they guess that she was a former rich girl living like a poor girl working for a wealthy man to gain money for her rent? Who knows.

Once the bus made its stop at the hotel, Haley prepared her umbrella and headed towards the entrance. The rain was pouring really hard so she hurried inside and closed the umbrella in the process. As she entered, she headed straight to the elevators.

From the ball room, Jake spotted her jogging across the lobby. He was about to call after her, but she looked like she was in a hurry. So he watched her walk into the elevator with a container in her hand. Once she disappeared, he heard thunder from outside.

_It's storming. Nathan hates storms._

**

* * *

**

When Haley finally reached his office, she walked in slowly and spotted Nathan's assistant, Emily, at her desk. Her shoes made a squishy sound as she strode across the room. She grew embarrassed from it, but Emily found it quite amusing.

"Hi," Haley greeted shyly. "Sorry, it was raining outside. I apologize for the sound," she added, realizing that it was really quiet in the office.

"It's okay," Emily said and glanced at the mac and cheese container in Haley's hand. "Is that for him?"

Looking at the food, she said, "Oh, yeah. He wanted me to make it since he's scared of thunderstorms."

"Yeah, he hates them alright."

"He didn't have to admit it. I could tell by the way he yelped on the phone," Haley laughed. She held out her hand. "I'm Haley, by the way."

"Nice to meet you. I'm Emily."

"I had a friend named Emily once. She was on the soccer team and now she turned into one of those wanna-be indie people." His assistant lifted an eyebrow at the energetic girl and grinned. "You're not a former soccer girl turned indie hipster are you?" she asked. Emily shook her head slowly.

Emily was the type of person who hardly showed emotion. She was very monotone, but Haley came in bringing in so much energy that caused her to lift her spirits. She smiled and was about to tell her that Nathan was waiting for her, but he beat her to it.

"What are you doing?" Nathan asked with the door opened. "Stop trying to be friends with everyone and come in here."

Haley nodded and followed him into the room. It was large and very business-like. There was a huge green leafy plant at the corner of the entrance and she brushed past it when she saw Nathan walking behind his desk with an irritated expression on his face.

She heard the sound of thunder from the roof and watched him wince. She smirked and walked over to the chair across from him. "Does the sound of bowling pins really scare you?"

He looked up from his desk and watched her open the container of macaroni and cheese. He couldn't wait to eat it. He had to admit, he loved her cooking. It was one of his favorite qualities about her.

Pulling out two plastic forks from her purse, she said, "Here."

"You're eating too?" he asked.

"I made this. This isn't all for you. You're not that special," she retorted as she went straight for it, but Nathan pushed her away. He knew that the minute Haley took one bite of it, she was going to consume the whole thing. So Nathan went in for the kill.

"Hey!" she cried out as she grabbed the container away from him with both hands, but he pulled it back. "We're supposed to share this, jerk!"

Thunder struck and rain was now pouring even harder outside. Cringing at the sound, he said, "I know you're going to eat it all!" He pulled it even closer to her, but Haley reached over and slapped him on the arm.

"Stop it!" she ordered. "Do you turn into a baby during thunderstorms? You're becoming really annoying right now. So stop being such a child and share this. I'm not going to eat it all," she said and pulled the container back to her and took her first bite.

He just sat there, alarmed by her demanding tone and grew silent. He slowly grabbed himself a fork full and ate it. Haley was laughing inside at his childish behavior. She hasn't seen him act like that before. He was always so stiff and cold. He never showed that much energy. It was probably from the storm, but she didn't think it was from that.

As she reached over for another scoop, she glanced at the documents on his desk. It was the floor plan for the hotel and resort, so she quickly grabbed it and observed the drawing.

"This looks complicated," she stated.

Nathan's eyes widened, wondering what she was doing and snatched it out of her hands. "Don't touch it!"

"Did Jake sketch that?"

"What?"

"Isn't he an architect? That looks like something he would make."

He grew irritated at the mention of his cousin's name and stuffed the food in his mouth. "No, someone else did. This is for our hotel and resort in Europe," he replied furiously.

"What's with the attitude, I was just asking a question." She looked at him for a second and glanced back at the floor plan beside him. "Are you making a new hotel in Europe?"

"Yep."

"Why? America's not enough for you?"

He looked up. "It helps with the business. Building more in other countries will increase our reputation. My dad's actually working there right now. In the next few months, I'll be there too."

Haley's delightfulness over Nathan's childish behavior subsided and she paused from eating more food.

"In a few months?" she questioned.

"Yep," he replied bluntly. "For about a year or two."

"That's a really long time." She started to feel saddened by that fact. _In the next few months he'll be gone. _Even though she had about one month left until her deadline, she didn't want him to go and she didn't want to leave.

"I think it would be good for me," he stated. "It will give me time to move on from everything." _Rachel Gatina._

"What about the hotel here? Who's going to take care of it?"

"My mom, I guess or Emily."

She suddenly didn't want to eat anymore. The thought of him being gone for a year or two scared her. Even the thought of leaving him to go back home made her feel awful. After realizing how oddly attached she was becoming to him, she wanted to suppress her feelings and forget about it. She didn't want to become vulnerable to a man she once thought was an audacious moron. She wasn't going to let that happen.

"You're not eating anymore?" he stated, noticing her sitting back from his desk.

"I'm full," she lied.

**

* * *

**

_**Wedding Day**._

Instead of asking Jake to buy her a dress, Haley decided to buy one herself. She chose a knee length color blocked strapless dress. The top of it was a champagne colored bodice artfully wrapped over a navy blue bottom with a soft bubble shape lining. It was simple and elegant. Perfect for a wedding.

Nathan had already left earlier that morning for work with his tux zipped up in a bag. So it was easier for Haley to get ready without him popping in and bossing her around. She told Jake that he didn't have to pick her up and that she'd take the bus instead. Jake was part of the wedding after all. He was going to be too busy getting ready and organizing everything. And she didn't want to be sitting there by herself especially if Nathan was going to be there. So she decided to come by a little later than usual.

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me there?" Jake asked as Haley grabbed a towel from the linen closet.

"Yes, I'll still be your date. I just won't walk in with you."

"Haley –"

"Jake. I don't want Nathan seeing me."

"He will eventually."

She groaned at the thought. After glancing at the clock, she said, "I don't want you to be late to your mother's waiting. I'm not even ready yet, so go. I'll be there." She walked over to the bathroom and started her shower.

"Fine."

"I'll see you in a bit." She hung up the phone, removed her clothes and jumped in the hot shower.

At the hotel, guests were quickly settling themselves inside The Great Room across the hall from the ball room. Inside were two long columns of white covered chairs with black bows wrapped around them and a beautifully decorated arch where the groom stood. And Nathan sat up front with his grandmother.

"I'm so upset that you didn't like any of the girls on that blind date," his grandmother complained.

Nathan chuckled at her pouty expression and placed his arm around his shoulders. "It's not your fault. They weren't all that bad. There was one girl that I liked."

"Then why didn't you bring her to the wedding? You look so pathetic sitting with your grandmother."

He took that comment by surprise and pinched her cheek. "But I really really like you. You're pretty."

"Oh stop it!" she retorted causing him to chuckle. "I don't think you even tried. I heard that you scared one of the girls off."

"What? I didn't, she ran off on her own."

"Yea, yeah," she pouted.

"You know what?"

"What?" she replied, avoiding his eyes.

"I'll promise to find a _beautiful_, wealthy woman to marry just for you."

"Really?"

He nodded. "Yup, and I'll make sure she's very attractive so that we'll have good looking children," he joked.

His grandmother rolled her eyes and lightly slapped him on the shoulder. As he removed his arm from her shoulders, he turned around to look at the entrance. His grin slowly subsided at the sight of Rachel walking in. It wasn't the first time he's seen her since her last visit. She'd walk across the lobby when he was checking on the workers and they wouldn't say one word to each other. They acted as if they were never friends at all. Rachel was secretly dying inside. Nathan on the other hand, couldn't quite forget about her. There were still feelings there, still a small attraction. So when she found her seat in the aisle next to him, he quickly looked away, trying his best to let go.

**

* * *

**

It didn't take long for Haley to finally finish getting ready. She twisted her curly hair up in a loose bun with a jeweled hair ornament on the side. She applied minimum makeup on her skin and focused more on her eyes. She contoured her eye lids with a light brown eye shadow and brushed a little bit of glitter at the corners. After that, she elongated her lashes with mascara. Then she finished it all off soft pink lipstick.

When she finally arrived to the hotel, after taking a long bus ride, she noticed the wedding crew walking down the spiraled stairs. So she quickly jogged up to the entrance before the pianist could play the wedding march. She lightly tiptoed inside, hoping she didn't interrupt the whole room, and found an empty seat at the back where she could clearly see the arch at the end of the aisle.

She wiped her brow and smiled at the family sitting beside her in the aisle. As she adjusted the hem of her dress, she glanced up and noticed the back of Nathan's head. He was wearing a dark suit, but she couldn't tell what it looked like in the front. Then she noticed him looking to his right to the other side and she followed his gaze. And she found a familiar red head sitting in the middle of the aisle. Suddenly, she felt a twinge of jealousy and grew a little sad at the way he was looking at her. He was obviously not completely over her yet.

A few minutes later, the pianist began to play and so she turned around towards the doors. She didn't want Nathan to see her, so she hid her face behind the woman with a bee hive hair do.

The first pair to walk the aisle was Jake and his new sister in law. He looked incredibly handsome with his black suit and golden tie. Then four more couples walked along the aisle – including Nathan's mother and one of Billy's groom's men- until the bride appeared at the doors. Gazing at the beautiful bride, Haley couldn't help but be in complete awe from the radiance that glowed from the woman's beauty. She looked exceptionally happy as she strode along that aisle, with her eyes locked on the man at the end waiting for her, as if no one else existed in the room. Once she finally reached her groom, she kissed her father goodbye, and Billy took a moment to gaze at Cindy with tears in his eyes and they finally linked arms.

Hearing them exchange their own written vows, made Haley think of her parents. She remembered how happy they were. They pranced around the house like they were newlyweds even if they've been together for fourteen years. And she missed those days when all she could feel in the house was the love they filled it with.

During the ceremony, Haley couldn't help but glance over at Nathan a few more times. Even if the event was supposed to be about the two people up there, she couldn't keep her eyes away from him. And sometimes she would catch him sneaking glances at Rachel which made her wince at the sight. Once it was over and the newlyweds finally exited the room, Haley quickly walked out before Nathan could see her. She hid behind one of the columns in the hall while everyone else walked across towards the ballroom.

When Nathan finally passed her and entered the ballroom, she followed everyone else inside. And the first thing she approached was the table full of food. It was full of gas-heated food from barbecued chicken to baked salmon. It was practically heaven to Haley.

Filling her mouth with food, Jake walked up to her and chuckled at the site of her chubby cheeks.

"I'm not surprised to see you here," he stated.

Haley finished stuffing her face and turned to him with a smile. "This is delicious."

"I bet, your cheeks say it all," he laughed.

Haley quickly chewed what was in her mouth and wiped the crumbs from her dress. "Sorry, I couldn't resist," she said. "The wedding was wonderful by the way. You're mother is so gorgeous. I never thought someone her age could look so good."

He laughed. "I'll make sure she knows that."

"Where is she? Did she go change outfits or something?" she asked while peeking back at the table full of food.

"Yeah, she'll be back here soon," he answered. "Did Nathan see you?"

Haley looked away from the table and sighed. "Nope, and I'm glad he hasn't yet. I wouldn't have enjoyed the ceremony as much as I did if he did see me."

"You know he's going to find out eventually, unless you're going to keep hiding out behind people's heads."

She groaned and glanced around the dimmed ballroom. Some people were sitting down and others were now lining up to the table. No sight of bossy Nathan.

**

* * *

**

Nathan and his grandmother sat at one of the tables as they waited for the guests of honor to arrive. And from a distance, he could see Rachel talking to her assistant Nancy at one of the tables. He didn't know, but he kept watching her, wondering what she was up to. It wasn't because he thought she looked pretty or that it made him want her even more. He wanted to make sure that she was okay especially with the way she left his house. He still cared for her.

"Didn't Cindy look gorgeous!" Deb stated as she approached the table. "I think I was crying up there. I wasn't quite sure though," she laughed as she sat next to Nathan.

"Your tears were clear as day," Nathan smirked. She shook her head, pulled him into an embrace and noticed the pouty expression on her mother-in-law.

"What's with her?" she asked. Nathan lifted his eyebrow and looked at his grandmother.

He smirked and said, "She's still upset that my blind dates didn't go well."

"I'm upset too," his mother replied.

"What? Why?"

"Because you didn't bring a date to the wedding. Even Jake brought one."

"I haven't seen him all day," he stated, searching over people's heads to find his cousin. "She's probably trampy anyways. So I shouldn't feel bad about not having a girl wrapped around my arm."

"That's what you think," his grandmother retorted.

He rolled his eyes at her cute, elderly attitude and turned back around to browse the room. Then he spotted Jake by the food table with a girl dressed in a color blocked dress. He could only see the back of her head though.

"Hey, I found him," he stated. "Do you want anything to drink?"

"Wine."

"Water."

He nodded and made his towards the table where Jake was. The girl he was standing by certainly didn't look trampy at all. From the way she wore her outfit, she looked more conservative and sexy rather than trashy.

Haley turned around a little bit and noticed Nathan approaching them so she hid her face behind Jake with her clutch.

"Hey, cousin!" Nathan greeted, patting Jake on the shoulder. They both did that boy hand clap, shoulder bump movement. "You were lookin sharp up there."

"I can't help it, I was born this way," Jake replied, cockily.

Haley rolled her eyes at the comment and reached over for a pork kabob.

"I see you brought a date," Nathan stated, leaning to the side to see her face, but she kept turning away.

"Uh yeah. She's really cool."

"Does she have a face?" Nathan questioned, curiously as he continued watching the girl. Haley bit off a piece from the stick and moved her bangs over her face. "I'm Nathan," he stated.

Instead of turning completely, she reached her arm over to shake his hand. When she did, Nathan looked at her strangely, and shook it. Then he noticed something familiar on her arm. There was a familiar scar on her skin. And he immediately tightened his grip, surprising Haley as she chewed on her food. He pulled her towards him causing her to lose her balance and revealed the girl's face.

"Haley?" he exclaimed with wide eyes.

She accidentally swallowed a piece of meat and started coughing in response.

"Are you okay?" Jake asked, concerned.

Haley's eyes squinted as she continued coughing and ran off to find the nearest glass of water.

"What the hell is she doing here?" Nathan asked.

Jake kept his eye on Haley when she grabbed a random person's glass of water and patted her chest. "I invited her."

"She's your date?"

Noticing the tone of his voice, he turned away from Haley and said, "Yeah, is that a problem?"

Swallowing the lump in his throat, Nathan quickly glanced at her. She was leaning her head back with her hand on her throat while the people at the table looked at her strangely.

"Well yeah," he answered roughly. "She's supposed to be home cleaning my house, not here."

"If you're worried about her not telling you about it, blame me. I told her to keep it a secret so you wouldn't stop her from coming."

Nathan looked at him. "Huh? You thought I wasn't going to let her go?"

"You being her boss, I would think so."

"I would've let her if she told me. I'm not that cold," he snapped.

Haley placed her hand against the table once she finally cleared her throat. She turned to the cousins as they continued to talk. It was obvious that the conversation was about her. Nathan had his usual serious face on and Jake had a serious one too. She wasn't really ready for what he was going to say to her for showing up. Probably something along the lines of "Why the hell are you here! GO back home and clean my fucking house!" So Haley decided to slowly disappear from their sight and browse around the ball room.

After saying something to Jake, he looked over to find Haley gone from the table.

"Where'd she go?" Jake turned and noticed she was gone too and began searching around. "What am I going to do with this girl!" Nathan exclaimed as he started looking around for her.

**

* * *

**

"I thought Lacey would've been perfect for Nathan," Nathan's grandmother stated as they waited at their table. "If only Nathan didn't intimidate her with his good looks. Damn our gene pool."

Debra laughed when she noticed a cute looking girl walking around like she was lost. She kept looking behind her as she walked.

"Hun, are you looking for someone?" she asked.

Haley turned to her, surprised, and shook her head. "Oh no, I'm just browsing around."

"Which side are you from? Bride's or Groom's?"

"Um, Bride's?" she answered slowly. "Well my date is on the bride's side . . .," she paused and said, "or maybe the groom's? Or both. I guess I'm mutual."

Deb couldn't help but admire the girl's infectious personality. "There's food over there, and there's a dance floor over there. But since the newlyweds haven't arrived yet, we have to wait a little longer on the dancing part."

Haley smiled and nodded. "Right." She continued standing there, looking over her shoulder to see if they were searching for her and smiled back at Deb who couldn't help but notice her nervousness.

"If you can't find your date, you can sit here with us, if you want," she suggested.

She took a second to think about it. The lady looked really nice, so she accepted the offer. "Okay," Haley replied happily as she settled herself in between Nathan's grandmother and mother. "I'm Haley if I haven't already introduced myself."

"Deb," she stated with a smile. Haley nodded then turned to the elderly woman and read her expression.

"Hi," she stated.

His grandmother turned to her, wondering who the strange girl was and glanced at her outfit. "Do I know you?"

"I'm Haley," she greeted with a grin.

She observed the girl's delightful smile and beautiful face and realized something. "Are you single?"

"Huh?"

Before the grandmother could reply, she noticed both of her grandsons approaching the table. Nathan glanced at Haley strangely while Jake came over to embrace his aunt and grandma.

"I see you've found my date," Jake stated. Both of the women grew surprised and turned back to Haley.

"Your Jake's date?" his grandmother asked.

Haley looked up at Nathan who appeared a bit tense and then she nodded at his grandmother. "Yeah."

"Well aren't you beautiful! I was just about to set you up with Nathan, but since Jake already snatched you away, I guess I'll have to find someone else."

Nathan lifted an eyebrow, surprised by her comment and settled himself next to his mom. But she stood up and moved seats. "Sit by your date, Jake," she ordered.

In irritation, Nathan sat even farther away from Haley. From the way his mom and grandma were smiling at her, he could tell that they were already infatuated by her presence. When it was time to eat, the women of his family were shocked by the way Haley scarfed everything off her plate like a vacuum cleaner. They didn't think a small frame like hers could hold up so much. Their expressions were hilarious to Nathan. It was like she was from a completely different planet, but then they would smile and laugh at her actions. And then she was normal in their eyes again.

Once everyone made their toasts and ate their food, the spotlight on the dance floor turned on and the couple walked to the center of the stage for their first dance. Billy wrapped his arm around his bride's waist and gently held her hand in his. And they began to dance to the sound of Kyla's '_Beautiful Days'_. It was one of the most beautiful songs Haley has ever heard. Just watching them dance slowly side to side to the song made her heart flutter.

Then she glanced at Nathan who was admiring the same sight as she was. And for a second, he looked back at her.

"May I have this dance?" Jake asked, holding out his hand to her. She was taken by surprise at his offer and wasn't really sure if she should.

"I'm a bad dancer."

"I don't think si," he smiled. "Come on, I'll lead you." She was hesitant to respond when she noticed Nathan staring at her from across the table. He didn't look pleased at all, but she ignored it and nodded her head.

"Okay." They both held hands together as they strode towards the dance floor where the lovely couple remained. Eventually more couples joined them.

From his seat, Nathan watched them carefully. He felt a sudden flicker in his chest at the sight of their intertwined hands. The feeling was kind of similar to pain. He couldn't quite define what was going on. Was it jealousy or protectiveness? All he knew was that he began to resent Jake for being around Haley so much. It grew even worse when he noticed his cousin snake his arm around her small waist. It hit him like slaps in the gut. Wincing at the sight, he quickly turned away to keep himself from getting anymore jealous and spotted Rachel sitting by herself.

"Ask her to dance," his grandmother suggested, glancing over to the red head's table. He refused the offer and she lightly hit him on the arm. "She's pretty. Go ask her. You owe me one."

He really didn't want to do it. He was doing really well with not talking to her, but since this was his aunt's wedding and his grandmother was here, he had couldn't refuse.

Walking closer to her table, he offered his hand. "Dance with me?"

Rachel sat there, with her arms crossed, and said, "I thought we weren't friends anymore."

"My grandmother wanted me to ask you. She's going to kick my ass if I don't dance with you. She's watching me right now as it is."

Rachel turned to his table where he noticed a lovely elderly lady watching them with a huge grin on her face. Although, she's been friends with Nathan for years, she's never met his family. But she heard delightful stories.

"I guess, we can," she answered as she held his hand and headed towards the dance floor.

It didn't take long for Haley to notice Nathan and Rachel dancing together. She thought they were over. She was there when he officially ended it. And he's been doing a splendid job at keeping himself away from her, but seeing them so close together was surprising. It was obvious that he wasn't over her yet. Especially when she noticed him sneaking glances at her during the ceremony.

Rachel lightly laid her head against his shoulder and shut her eyes. It felt so good to be in his arms again.

"Nathan," she began.

"Hmm?"

"Even if you said that you didn't want to be friends anymore, can we at least be acquaintances?" she asked. "Because I don't think I can handle you being erased from my life."

Nathan stepped side to side, and glanced at Haley who was looking a little distressed while dancing with Jake.

"Acquaintances?"

"Yea," she whispered. "People who acknowledge each other. They aren't particularly close. But I'd rather you acknowledge my presence instead of you ignore me."

Since he was leaving anyways for a year or two, it wouldn't be a bad idea to accept her offer. "I guess," he replied.

From Jake's arms, she noticed a smile appear on both of their faces. Something was obviously going well over there. She felt something tighten in her chest and her stomach began to churn. She didn't understand why Nathan was dancing with the one girl he was trying to get rid of. He wasn't even pushing her away.

She pulled away from Jake and said, "I'm not feeling too well."

"Are you okay? Do you want me to bring you home?"

"I'm going to step outside for a second," she stated and hurried away through the crowd. She walked down the silent hall and jogged away until she found herself outside of the hotel.

Nathan noticed Haley run off and stopped dancing with Rachel to walk over to Jake.

"Where'd Haley go?"

"She said she wasn't feeling good, so she stepped outside."

_It was from all of that food you ate, stupid girl._ So he decided to run off and check on her. She was nowhere in the hall or lobby, so he jogged outside and found her standing outside with her arms wrapped around her. He couldn't help but notice how beautiful she looked. Her dress hugged her curves perfectly and her hair fell against her shoulders like waterfalls. He didn't really notice it from inside the ballroom because the place was dim. But now that she was standing under glowing lights against the night sky, she was radiant. He had almost forgotten to breathe.

He stepped forward and asked, "Are you okay? Jake told me you weren't feeling good."

She tensed up at the sound of his voice and avoided his eyes. "Yeah, my stomach's bothering me."

"It's because of all that food you ate. If you weren't such a slob, you wouldn't be feeling ill." She ignored his insult, swallowed the lump in her throat and said nothing. "Do you want me to bring you home? I'll buy you some medicine on the way there."

"No, I'm fine. I'll take the bus."

Her stubbornness irritated him so he stepped forward and said, "You're not taking the bus. I'll drive you. So come on." He pulled on her elbow, but she didn't budge. That obviously didn't stop him from her dragging her away. So she gave in, whipping her arm from his grip and followed him. He could tell that she was upset at something and red her expression. "What? Are you sad because you're going to miss out on the wedding cake? I'll make sure my mom saves you piece."

She quickly glared at him, and said, "You are ridiculous!" and stomped off towards his car. It was strange to see her go from ill-looking to angry in a second. So he jogged after her, and headed off to the highway.

**

* * *

**

On the way back home, Nathan called his mom to tell him that he had an emergency, and that he's sorry for leaving the reception. And Haley did the same by calling Jake. But Haley refused to talk to Nathan. She was still frustrated and hurt.

"Do you want me to cook you Ramen noodles again?" he asked, noticing the tension between them as he switched lanes.

"No," she replied, looking out the window.

"What about ice cream?"

"Why would I want ice cream when I told you my stomach hurt? Just focus on the road," she ordered as she twirled a piece of hair around her finger.

Noticing her tone, he asked, "What's the matter?"

"Nothing! I just feel ill. So stop bothering me and let's go home!" she snapped.

"Why are you getting mad at me? I was just asking you what you want to make you feel better, geez," he replied, observing her expression.

"Stop asking me what I want," she stated again with an angry tone.

He grew curious and took his eyes off the road to look at her. The reason why she was acting upset was obviously not from having a aching stomach. She'd eat ice cream even when she was feeling ill. Something else was bothering her. Then he glanced at the tightness of her dress and shook his head.

"I think your dress is cutting off the circulation to your brain," he mocked.

She looked at him roughly and asked with red eyes, "What's wrong with you?"

"Huh?" he turned to her.

"I thought you were trying to get rid of Rachel, but I saw you dancing with her. You looked pretty cozy. Are you trying to get yourself hurt again?" she retorted. He couldn't really say anything. He was too stunned by her tantrum. "You are so stupid!" she groaned.

"Excuse me?"

"You obviously can't move on from her. If you want her that much, then stay with her because I'm sick of seeing you mope around over a girl you can't have! It's so pathetic to think that this has been going on for years," she complained, growing even more irritated every second she had to think about it.

Nathan's blood began to boil at her rant and tightened his grip around the steering wheel. How dare she call him out on this difficult situation? It wasn't easy for him to deal with.

"You really have a mouth on you, you know that?" he grumbled. "So I think you should shut it before I get angry," he ordered.

"It's because of your stupidity that makes me like this!" she cried out. "You're such a pathetic loser! You continue to admire a girl that can't even love you back!"

He grew even more frustrated and slammed his hand against the steering wheel. "I can't believe I have to deal with this crap!" he roared. He didn't want to argue anymore, so he roughly turned up the stereo and concentrated on the road. Haley adjusted her self in her seat to where she was facing the window. She didn't want to see his face at all. It was just going to make her feel worse. She pulled on her hair in frustration as she fought back the tears that were coming. And the atmosphere stayed like that for the rest for the drive home. Both extremely irritated by the other.

* * *

_**What do you think? I'd like to know :)**_


	9. Lie 9

**A/N: **Hi readers! I am back with another update! I'm sorry it's bit later in the day, but I was editing and reediting all day trying to make this chapter perfect. And I'm hoping it's a good one. Just so you know, I got inspiration to write one or two scenes from one of my favorite Kdramas, so if you watch Korean dramas and you recognize something in this chapter, then tell me if you know what drama it's from! hehe. I'm obsessed with it. lol Anyways, now that I don't have already written chapters made, it will take me longer to update. But I will try to update daily! Thank you again for all the wonderful reviews! I truly do appreciate them! And I would like to welcome all the new readers! I'm glad you're loving the story! It's a blessing. Please keep motivating me so I can complete this story hehe. I love you all. I love long reviews. Those help me with my work and I get inspired with knowing what you like about the story/chapters. Well I hope enjoy this update!

Annie

P.S.! I think around halfway through the story, you should listen to "Across the Ocean" by Azure Ray to help with the mood. It helped me write it out. Enjoy!

* * *

**Chapter 9 "Lie 9"**

Ever since the night of the wedding, Haley's been avoiding Nathan. She didn't think she could look him in the eye anymore after blowing up in his face. It was getting harder and harder for her to bottle up her feelings for him. She had to keep reminding herself that their relationship was strictly about business. He was her boss and she was his employee. Nothing could come out of that. He was going to leave anyways, so what was the point?

After she brushed her teeth, she looked at herself in the mirror and noticed the sadness in her own eyes.

_I comforted him when he was hurting. I gave him food when he was scared. He even ended the friendship to get rid of her. But he still wants her? How pathetic._

She groaned at the thought and wiped the foggy mirror with her hand. Today was going to be an even more depressing day. It was her mother's death anniversary. Fourteen years had passed since her mother's car accident. And in order for Haley to keep her mother in her memory, she would visit the beach. But she didn't think she would be able to do that this year with Nathan as her boss. She just figured it wasn't going to happen. The beach was hours away from Charlotte.

She grabbed the towels from the shower and walked out with them stacked on her arms. When she walked out, she saw Nathan striding across the living room from the kitchen. He was about to say something to her, but she brushed past him towards the laundry room without a word.

He grew confused by her in the past few days. Nathan had already gotten over their little fight in the car. He had to admit that she was right. Easily giving in to Rachel was not the best way to get rid of her. But he realized that his feelings for Rachel were actually going away. It didn't hurt him as much to look at her anymore. She was starting to look more like a friend than a lover in his eyes. The only thing that was upsetting him was Haley and his relationship with her.

Buttoning up his shirt, he glanced at the opened laundry room. He could see a little bit of her and said, "I'm about to go to work!" He waited for a response, and examined her movements. She didn't do or say anything in response. "Did you hear me? I'm leaving." He looked over again, and saw her wave her arm at him.

He furrowed his eyes and continued to stare at her. "You better clean the pool, its turning green!" he ordered, hoping to hear one of her witty insults.

"Sure," she mumbled.

He continued to watch her curiously and said, "Don't forget to scrub the tile floors in the bathrooms and dust the fans!"

"Okay."

"Wash the dog and make sure you bring him to the vet!" he snapped.

"Okay."

He looked at her strangely. He didn't even own a dog, but she was willing to do it anyways. Her behavior was starting to irritate him. He didn't like how she didn't even insult him. She barely looked him in the eye.

"Also, paint my whole house and buy me new furniture!" he ordered.

"Okay!" she replied.

He was trying his best to push one of her buttons, but she didn't budge which made him grow even more annoyed. So he hurried over to the laundry room and startled her by slamming his hand against the washer.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked, eyeing her down as she stuffed clothes into the dryer.

"Nothing," she answered.

"Stop it," he griped. "You're not acting yourself. You won't even look me in the eye!"

She shut the dryer and looked up at him, completely aware that he was frustrated with her. "I said nothing is wrong." And she tried to move out the room, but he blocked her with his arm.

"Give me one less thing to worry about and tell me what your problem is."

"Nathan," she began. "Stop bothering me, and let me through."

"I just told you to bathe my dog, paint my house, and buy me new furniture, but you didn't budge. Why aren't you arguing back?"

"Because . . ." she replied and took a step forward but he moved his arm again.

"Haley. Are you still mad at me over that Rachel thing?" he asked. "It was nothing, okay. We were just dancing because my grandmother told me to." She looked at him and felt the tightness in her chest. "I'm not going to mope around over her again. I know how that annoys you."

She didn't say anything and tried to walk away again, still frustrated with her own feelings.

"Please tell me what your problem is. I already have a lot on my mind right now, so give me one less thing to think about before I go to work," he ordered. He stared at her, hoping to find an answer in her expression. He could tell that she was holding something back.

Without thinking about it, she said, "I like you."

That stopped him short. "What?"

"I like you," she repeated. "But that can't be because you're my boss and I'm your employee," she continued with a straight face.

By the way he read her expression, she looked pretty serious. Even if he wanted to believe it, he convinced himself that she was just playing with his head anyways. Haley was known for being a witty liar. So he brushed if off as a joke. Chuckling nervously, he said, "You're pretty funny. You got me there for a second."

Haley stood there, frustrated by his reaction. She wasn't joking about it. She was trying to be honest with him, but seeing how he reacted, he was amused. So she followed his lead and let out a fake laugh. "Yeah, I'm such a joker," she said and pushed his arm away and walked back into the living room.

Still in the laundry room, he thought about what she said and wondered if she was really joking or not. He was so stunned by her answer that he couldn't really concentrate right. Those were the last words he thought he'd ever hear from her lips. She always acted like he annoyed her or was miserable around him. And she was always spending time with Jake which made him think that she liked him. It was all very confusing and startling.

He followed her back into the living to talk to her, but before he could say another word to her, she already disappeared into the hall way. He heard something buzzing on the coffee table and noticed Haley's phone glowing. He bent down to pick it up and read the reminder. _Mother's memorial._ He quickly looked up at the hallway and he suddenly felt bad for making her work today. _No wonder she wasn't in the mood to argue with me_, he thought.

**

* * *

**

**Later in the afternoon**

While his mother and new step father were on their honey moon in Hawaii, Jake decided to stay in Charlotte a little bit longer. He actually enjoyed it here more than he did in South Carolina. He was even thinking about applying for a job here.

After knowing about Haley's little secret, he couldn't help but wonder what she was doing acting like a poor girl. It was a rare sight to see wealthy women living a poor life. Usually they would be spoiled to death with jewels and clothing. But Haley was the complete opposite. She refused to be spoiled. And she was working for her money.

Sitting in the lobby after having lunch, Jake noticed Nathan standing in front of the flower booth by the hotel restaurant. He leaned forward to observe him and noticed him eyeing the white lilies. He began to wonder if they were for Rachel or Haley. Either or, he definitely wished it wasn't for Haley.

Since he found out that today was the memorial of her mother's death, he wanted to do something nice for her. He didn't think that bossing her around and pushing her to clean the house was a good idea. Haley was obviously in mourning. It didn't matter how long it was since her death; it was always a sad day.

"Hey Mr. Scott, are you picking flowers for a special lady?" the elderly women asked.

He nodded. "Yeah. I need something for a vibrant girl. Do you have any suggestions?" he asked

"Hmm, let me see," she began and as she looked around at all the flowers available. "Is it her birthday?"

"Today's actually a sad day for her. Today is her mother's memorial. I wanted to get her something that will lift her spirits," he answered.

"Oh, I know the perfect flowers for that." The woman quickly turned around and grabbed a small bouquet of daylilies. "These are good for today. In Chinese it means _Forgetting Worries_." She handed him the small bouquet and said, "So hopefully her sorrows will be forgotten."

"Thank you, these are perfect."

"No problem," she smiled. "Give her my blessings."

Nathan nodded and paid for the flowers before headed out of the hotel. As he disappeared, Jake grew curious at where he was going then from the side, Rachel appeared.

"What are you looking at?" she asked.

Jake turned to her, forgetting about Nathan and smiled. "Nothing. Just watching people."

She sat next to him on the couch and grabbed the magazine from the stack on the table.

"I thought you were leaving?"

"Yeah, I am. But we're doing a few more interviews her before we head back home," she answered as she flipped through the pages and stopped to look at a unique photo of a girl who appeared to be floating on top of the ocean with a soaked white dress and her hair sprawled out. Her eye makeup was smeared down her cheeks and she was reaching up to the sky. Stunned by the photo, she said, "Wow. Why is Jimmy James so fucking Godly!"

Jake grew curious and hovered over her shoulder to look at the photo. "Who's Jimmy James?"

"He's only one of the best photographers on this earth. He's able to elicit emotions through his photos. They are vulnerable, dark, and so creative. He's been working for more than thirty years! And it's been stated that he only photographs A-list celebrities. It's rare to see him working on someone like me. It takes a lot of convincing to work with him," she ranted. Jake looked at her, impressed by her answer. It was practically an autobiography.

"Is he really that great?"

"Yes! To have a portfolio of photos taken by him is like gold! It helps boost your reputation. If only I could get a chance to work with him."

"Maybe this movie will help you out."

"I doubt it, I only have a supporting role," she replied as she continued to observe the conceptual photo. "I heard that he has a daughter my age. Maybe if I meet her and become her best friend, she can get me a photo shoot."

For a second, Jake thought about Haley. _Haley James. Jimmy James. She was a photographer who wanted to follow her successful father's footsteps. And he was a famous photographer. Could it be her? Was she the daughter?_

**

* * *

**

Haley continued cleaning the rest of the house and thought about her confession earlier. It was a stupid move. He didn't even believe her when she told him that she liked him. It was such an embarrassment. He laughed at her. That wasn't what she really wanted to hear.

"How are you Hales?" Brooke called.

"I'm fine," she answered, lowly while sweeping the hallway.

"I'm sorry we can't be there for you on this day. I know how much it means to you for all of us to go to the beach."

"It's okay. I think I'll be able to live without having to go there. I'm trying to make a living here, so it's okay."

"Are you sure? We can come pick you up."

"No no," she refused as she pushed the dirt into the dust pan. "I don't want you to drive four hours just to bring me to the beach for one day. Besides, I don't want you embarrassing me again. I still can't believe you asked him to give you a hotel suite. Not a hotel _room_, a hotel _suite_."

She heard Brooke groan. "For the billionth time, Haley, he offered to give it to us. We didn't beg."

"Still," she retorted. "I have a lot of cleaning left to do, so I'll call you later."

"I can't believe he's letting you clean on your mother's death anniversary."

"He doesn't know that," she answered.

"What? Why?"

Haley wept the corners of the hall and pushed the dirt into the dust pan. "Because I didn't tell him."

"You should!" Brooke exclaimed. "If I were you, I wouldn't be able to clean anything at-."

"Brooke, please, don't," Haley cut in, feeling the sudden pain begin to hit her chest.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I think you should tell him though," he suggested.

"I'll tell him later," she replied. "I really need to finish, I'll call you."

"Okay. I love you, Hales."

"I love you too. Tell Marley and Luke that I love them as well. I'll be home in a month, so don't worry!" They both said their goodbyes and they hung up. After doing so, Haley thought about her mother and wondered if she could see how badly she was hurting.

Haley felt like she was becoming more and more like Nathan – acting pathetic over someone who couldn't love you return. He would never look at her the way he looked at Rachel. He would never think of her like he thought of Rachel. And it killed her every time she thought about it. She was only going to be that friendly, stubborn, poor girl who black mailed him into giving her a job. She would be nothing more than that.

She leaned against the hall way as she felt her chest tighten. Her stomach churned and the tears began to well up in her eyes. _So this was how Nathan felt. This hurts. This hurts a lot._ Clutching her chest, she sobbed. She hadn't cried like this in so long. And to add on to that pain was her mother's death anniversary. So much hurt in one day was too hard to bear.

**

* * *

**

Nathan decided to take off from home a little bit earlier so that he could be with Haley on this depressing day. He drove to the market to buy her a carton of ice cream. He remembered that ice cream made her feel better on a bad day. _Ice cream and the amusement park._ He wasn't quite sure if he should bring her to the amusement park, but he was going to at least try.

He paid for the strawberry ice cream and glanced at one of the magazines on the racket. There was yet another rumor about Rachel. He held the bag of ice cream in his hand while he picked magazine up.

_Rachel Gatina attended a friend's wedding last week. As usual, security took care of the paparazzi. But a friend of one of the guests stated that she was spotted dancing with a handsome man on the dance floor. Unfortuntaley, pictures still haven't come up revealing the mysterious man. Although, Rachel has told magazines that the "rumors were just rumors", she still hasn't given us an answer. Everyone wants to know!_

He quickly put the magazine back down and grew frustrated at the fact that people were still trying to put their noses into her business. It's been a month since the rumors came out, and he thought that the articles would be done, but it still wasn't over.

He pushed all those worries away and headed back to the house. As he drove along the highway, he thought about what Haley had told him earlier. He couldn't stop thinking about it.

_I like you, but that can't be because you're my boss and I'm your employee._

He wasn't sure if he was going insane, but every time he thought about her -every single second- he grew drawn to her. There was definitely an attraction there. He couldn't deny it. But he tried to fight away those feelings.

When he finally arrived to the house, he walked in to see Haley wiping the counters in the kitchen. Her eyes were red and swollen. It was obvious that she had been crying the whole day. So he hurried over towards her and placed the bag of ice cream on the counter and the bouquet of flowers beside it. She was confused when she saw what he had brought with him. _Flowers and ice cream?_

"What's this?"

"It's for you," he stated. "Earlier this morning, your phone rang and it said that it was your mother's memorial. So I went out to buy some flowers and I knew you liked ice cream, so I bought that for you too."

Haley just stood there, frozen. She was trying to soak it all in. It was surprising to see that Nathan took the time to buy all this for her on this day. It literally made her heart skip a beat at the thought. She glanced at him with her sad eyes and couldn't help but like him even more for what he did.

When he read the way she was looking at him, he could tell that she was very thankful for the gifts. Her eyes welled up and tears began to form once again.

"Come on, stop cleaning for the day and eat ice cream with me," he ordered nicely as walked around the counter to grab spoons to eat the ice cream with.

With his back towards her, Haley found herself wrapping her arms around his waist. She was fighting away the tears as she held him tightly against her. Her embrace took Nathan by surprise. He wasn't sure how to handle it. But the warmth of her body against his didn't feel so bad.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He smiled at her comment and slowly turned around to hug her back. The proximity of their bodies made both of them feel something even more powerful than they had expected. They actually didn't expect anything at all. It was just a hug – a platonic hug that Nathan wished it was. But it was more than that. And he realized that his attraction to her was even more intense than he believed. He couldn't be falling for her_. She was my employee. My pretty, energetic, stubborn employee. I can't be . . . I can't. _

He hurriedly pulled away from their hug, fearing what else he would've felt from it, and grabbed the spoons. Haley stood there, aware of Nathan's actions and blinked a few times before she came back to reality.

"Come on, it's melting," he stated. She nodded and grabbed the ice cream from his hand and began to eat it.

They were quiet for a while as they continued to eat the cold dessert. Both were still trying to get over what they had just felt from their embrace. It was overwhelming, comforting and scary. Nathan knew his feelings for Haley were familiar from the beginning. It was the same heart racing feeling he got when he was around Rachel. But this time the tingles in his stomach, the tightness of his chest and the lump in her throat were powerful and warm. Even though it drove him crazy as he tried to figure what was going on, there was a comfortable atmosphere when she was around. He was able to be himself around her.

For Haley, it was the exact same thing. Her feelings for Nathan were troubling. Never in her life did she have to deal with such confusion and attraction. The thought of even being away from him was painful. She hated him from the beginning, but as days and weeks flew by, she saw different sides of him that made her grow fond of him. He was kind, sensitive, gentle, generous, and friendly. And he started to look more attractive when he did things like this.

A few moments past before Nathan decided to break the silence.

"Tell me about your mom," he stated.

Haley slowly scooped some ice cream into her spoon and held it. "What do you want to know?"

"What was she like? Was she like you? Stubborn? Vibrant?"

"She was beautiful," she answered him as she put the spoon into her mouth. She let the ice cream melt before she continued. "She had the kind of personality that people envied. She wanted to be friends with everyone and she never said one bad thing about any one."

"I was going to say that she sounded just like you, but then you finished the sentence and I realized she wasn't. You always have something bad to say."

She glared at him and scooped another spoon full. "I get my friendliness from my mother and my stubbornness from my dad. They balanced each other out," she stated as she thought about her parents again. "She had a good voice too. She'd sing me to sleep before I went to bed. And she absolutely loved to cook."

"Is that where you got your cooking skills from?" he asked.

"Yeah. I loved my mother's cooking. Even though we had a mai-," she stopped herself before she could finish the word _maid_ and coughed. "Even though I was still young when she was alive, I still remember her cooking. I missed it so much after she died, so I decided to learn how to cook her recipes."

"Special pancakes?" he questioned.

"Yeah, that was her recipe."

"She was a good cook then."

She looked over at him and smirked. "So are you saying that you like my cooking?"

"Um," he began. "I guess." She gave him a look. "Fine! I admit it. I like your cooking. But don't take credit for it. Your mom made them."

She stuck her tongue out at him and then smiled at his little confession. There was another moment of silence before Nathan continued the conversation about her mother.

"Was your mother a breadwinner like you?" he asked.

"Huh?"

"I bet she was. Who else would you have gotten your will to work from?" She looked at him curiously. "I have to admit, I really admire you for wanting to work for your money. I bet you've been doing that all your life, huh? You probably had to work twice as hard to keep your life stable after your mother's death." She grew nervous as he continued to make up ideas about her. None of it was true. "Your father probably took it harder." That was true.

"Yeah," she nodded.

"How are you and your father?" he asked.

"Um, we're not on good terms right now," she answered, eating another spoon full of ice cream. "Ever since her death, he grew bitter and cold. He forgot that I even existed for a while. So when I was seventeen, I ran away from home, to get away and to see if he missed me."

"Did he miss you?" he questioned, growing interested into her life story.

"It took him about a week to realize that I was gone. So I guess he did. Then years later, I did it again." He looked at her curiously.

"You sure do love running away, don't you?"

She laughed and continued. "You would run away too if your father locked you up in the house without having a specific reason."

"I should've," he stated, looking away and remembering the days studying in his father's office rather than outside playing sports with his friends.

"Hmm?" she question with the spoon in her mouth.

"I was locked up doing something that I really didn't want to do. I never got the chance to broaden my mind to other careers or dreams."

"Why is that?"

"It's a family business. I was born to do this job and nothing else. After high school, I went straight to college for business, learning everything that I needed to know about the company and how to work it. The pressure my dad put on me made me a workaholic. I hated it, but I got used to it," he explained. "That's why I envy you." She raised her eyebrows. "You have so much freedom."

Haley slowly stopped eating the ice cream and stared at him. She was stunned by his words. Knowing that he actually admired her and envied her for her freedom made her feel guilty. He thought that she had been like this all her life, but she truly wasn't. She was a naïve, spoiled girl with wealthy parents before she finally realized that life was much better than money. She ran away the first time to get attention from her father. She ran away the second time to actually live her life on her own.

"I'm not that . . . great," she answered nervously.

"I think you are," he stated. "Struggling with money all your life must be hard, but you always have a smile on your face. I envy that."

Again, she grew guilty. She swallowed the lump in her throat and grabbed another scoop of ice cream. She fought away the thought in her head. She didn't want to feel guilty about using him to get money. She didn't want to lie to him about her wealthy background. He just said that he envied her for being independent and hardworking all her life. She couldn't tell him now. She was afraid of how he'd react if he found out about her wealth. Would he be angry at her for never telling him or would he admire her even more since she knew what he was going through? Either or, she wasn't going to tell him. He was leaving after all. There's no point in telling him any more than he already knew.

**

* * *

**

Brooke was heading home from the store when she noticed a familiar vehicle at Haley's apartment complex from the stop light. It was a red sports car that belonged to Haley's wealthy father. She continued to stare when she noticed an older man climb out from the driver's seat wearing a pair of gray slacks and a white striped button up shirt. Her eyes widened at the sight of Jimmy James walking up to Haley's apartment. She began to panic and quickly turned the corner towards the parking lot.

Jimmy wanted to give his daughter a visit on this day. It was his wife's death anniversary and it had been years since he last talked to his daughter. It would be a good day to work things out again. He always wondered how she was doing, but she would never answer his calls or reply to his e-mails. She even changed her number, so it was impossible to get in contact with her. He figured she didn't want anything to do with him. He never thought she'd go this far to delete him from her life. She was still his daughter; he cared for her even if he didn't show it enough.

He gave her everything that she ever wanted, but that obviously wasn't enough. He remembered her yelling at him for being an inconsiderate father with a cold soul. It broke his heart to hear his own daughter tell him that he was cruel. The argument was still clear in his head.

_(Five Years Ago)_

_After finding out that her father was relocating to New York, Haley grew angry. She wasn't going to go with him to New York. Tree Hill was her home and it was going to remain her home. It was the place she grew up, where her mother raised her and where she remembered her mother most. She wasn't going to live with her cold, bitter father in a city with people she hardly knew._

"_I'm not going," she stated, walking into her father's office in the house._

_He looked at her strangely. "What?"_

"_I'm not going to New York with you. I refuse to."_

"_Stop being childish, Haley. You're going."_

"_Why do you always do that?"_

"_Do what?" he asked, glancing at his photos on the desk._

"_You always do what you want without caring about what I think."_

"_It's because I think it's the reasonable thing to do. My job is mainly based in the city. I'm sick of flying back and forth, so I've decided to move there for the benefit of my job."_

"_See, you're doing it for yourself!" she snapped. "What about me! Don't you think of me at all? Do you care how I feel about this? No, because ever since mom died, you just stopped caring. You forgot that I existed and you drowned yourself in your work. I've become nothing to you and now you've become nothing to me too."_

_He looked up and glanced at her, surprised by her words. "What are you talking about?"_

"_I'm talking about how cruel and bitter you've been all these years. You could care less about how I feel. You haven't even told me that you loved me since my mom died. Even if you tried to make me happy with your gifts, jewels, clothes and money, it will never replace the love you lacked to give me. I want you to stop blaming me for her death! I didn't do anything to cause anybody any harm."_

_He winced at the sound of her voice. "Haley, stop this right now. Stop talking this instant."_

"_No! I'm going to tell you everything that I've been bottling up all these years. I'm going to tell you how much pain you've caused me," she retorted. "Do you have any idea how it feels to be unloved by your own father? It pains me to think you don't love me. I want you to stop looking at me like I killed her. I didn't! I didn't do anything! All I wanted was ice cream the day! Things just went wrong. And you've been treating me like a child, like I can never do anything right. I am twenty one years old now, dad. I am old enough to take care of myself. I don't want your money, materials and any of this shit anymore if it means that I won't be loved."_

"_I said stop it!" he yelled. "Stop acting like this! I can't bear to hear any more! And we're going to New York whether you like it or not!"_

"_I'm not going!" she shouted._

"_Haley! If you don't come with me, I'm going to leave you here by yourself," he stated, hoping that it would make her rethink of her thoughts._

"_Fine!" she answered, startling him. "I'll live here by myself. I'll do whatever I can to find my own happiness."_

_His jaw tightened. "You will not make it out there on your own. You've grown too independent on other people to make your own living."_

"_I can and I will. I'll prove it to you."_

"_No, you're coming with me and that's final."_

_And the next morning, he found her closet opened, her suitcase and clothes gone. She ran off that night and she brought all her personal documents with her. She didn't even bother leaving a note or address. She was gone like poof! And that was the last he heard from her. _

He asked many residents if they knew where Haley lived, and as soon as they found out, he came to her apartment. Approaching the address, he observed the building. It wasn't a dump but it wasn't a fancy condo either. It was a normal looking apartment complex in a quaint neighborhood. She was obviously living a stabled, middle classed life.

He knocked about three times and waited patiently for her to swing it open, but nothing happened. Chancelor walked out of his apartment with a bag of peanuts in hand when he noticed an older man standing in front of Haley's apartment. It had been about a month since he last saw Haley. When he noticed that Haley still hadn't paid for her electricity bill, he grew curious at her whereabouts.

"Are you looking for Haley?" he asked, approaching the clean cut older man.

Jimmy turned to him, puzzled by her absence and nodded, "Yeah, do you know where she might be?"

"I should ask you the same thing. She hasn't been here for a mo-"

"Hi there , Mr. James! What are you doing in town?" someone cut in from the stairs. Both them turned to the exhausted Brooke walking towards them.

"I just finished doing a photo shoot close by. And it's Lydia's memorial so I thought I'd drive for a visit," he said.

"Oh well if you're wondering where Haley is, she went out of town for the day," she smiled.

"For the day? She's been gone for a –" Brooke quickly ran over to Chancelor and pretended to wiped the crumbs off his face.

"You got a little something right there," she stated, pointing to the side of his lip. Jimmy looked at her strangely and grew curious at her behavior.

"Do you know how I can get in contact with her?" he asked.

"Uh, she's – she turned off her phone. I think she wants to be alone," she answered nervously.

Jimmy understood that reason and nodded. "I really wanted to see how she was doing. Is she doing fine?"

"She's doing really well!" she exclaimed, thinking about Haley working for a wealthy man. "She's working really hard!"

Jimmy smiled. "That's good to hear. I'm glad she's doing something for herself," he replied. It was a shame for Haley to not be at home on the only day he came into town. "Well, I guess I better go then. Tell her I'll be at the beach house if she comes around."

Brooke nodded and waved at him before he turned to leave. Even if she did to tell her where he was, Haley wasn't going to visit him. She watched him climb into his car and drive away before she let out a relieving breath.

"Who was that man?" Chancelor asked.

"That was Haley's father."

"He's Haley's father? He looks too wealthy to be Haley's father."

"Well he is," Brooke snapped.

"Speaking of Haley, where is she exactly? I haven't seen her at her apartment in about a month. She still hasn't paid for her electricity bills. And she has a month left until her rent's due. I need my money pronto."

"Calm your fat ass down, Chancelor. Haley is working her hardest to get your money as soon as possible."

"Why can't she just use her father's money? He looks nice enough to help her."

She rolled her eyes at him. "Haley doesn't want help from her father," she said and grabbed the bag of peanuts from his hands. "I'm bringing this with me!"

**

* * *

**

Nathan and Haley spent the rest of the afternoon sitting in the kitchen, talking about their mothers and comparing their similarities. It was funny how their mothers were so alike. They were both sweet and kind. Debra would bring Nathan to the aquarium on a bad day, make himmac and cheese during thunderstorms while Lydia would bring Haley to the amusement park and give her ice cream to make her happy. And they obviously loved their mothers more than they loved their fathers.

"Where do you usually go during this day?" he asked her.

After eating almost half of the gallon of ice cream ruined her dinner. She sluggishly looked at him and said, "'the beach."

"The beach huh? Why the beach?"

"Well, when I was younger my mom always told me that she wanted be part of the ocean when she died. She said that it was because the ocean was peaceful, spiritual, and had a calming affect on everyone. So I go there to check on her; to feel the peace and love that she used to have."

He observed her expression. He didn't know what it was like to lose a parent, but he knew what it was like to lose a grandparent. And he remembered the pain his grandmother and father went through at that time. It was hard.

"But since there's no beaches close by, I'll have to skip that this year," she stated, leaning her head against her forearms on the table.

Seeing the sadness in her eyes, she stood up from his chair and suggested something. "Let's go on a night drive instead."

She moved her eyes up to him and lit up at the sound. Night drives were her favorite. It's what got her here in the first place.

They both happily climbed into his convertible and drove around town for the rest of the night. They didn't have to talk or say word throughout the whole ride. The presence of each other and the comfort of the breeze was all they needed. It helped relieve a lot of stress and despair. It also helped Haley forget about her sorrows for a moment. Just to have Nathan by her side was all that she could ask for. As long as he was willing to stay around and spend time with her, she was going to be happy even if he didn't want her back.

Driving along the highway with one arm on the wheel, he glanced over at Haley who was leaning back with her hands up in the air. Her eyes were shut with a smile on her face. The sight was beautiful and comforting. It made him happy to see that she wasn't crying or feeling sad anymore. And he was glad that he was able to give her that much. Even if he was fighting away his feelings for her, he was content with her presence even if he knew they couldn't be more.

After a while of driving, Haley turned to him and asked if it was possible to drive his car. At first Nathan wasn't quite sure if he trusted Haley with his convertible. It was pretty expensive and his baby, but since he was being nice to her, he parked to the side and they switched seats.

"Keys," she demanded, after putting her seat belt on.

He was hesitant to give it to her, but he did it anyways. She jumped in glee when she held the keys in her hands and started his car. Her giddiness made him laugh, but he was a little scared of what was to come when she started moving back onto the road.

"Wow!" she gasped. "This is so smooth!" she said as she drove.

"Please be careful!" he ordered.

"Don't worry, boss. I won't crash your precious car," she replied, noticing how tense Nathan was getting.

The roads weren't really busy and she wasn't all that bad of a driver. And she really wanted to scare him. So after he started to relax in his seat, she swerved to the left lane and back to the right.

"HALEY!"

"WEEE!" she squealed as she continued driving like a maniac.

"Stay on the right side! You'll get us killed!" she laughed at his reaction.

"Okay, okay!" She stayed on the right side and continued driving. She glanced at him and noticed the panic in his eyes. It was humorous to her to see him act like such a baby. She could tell that he was kind of irritated too. The day was getting all too serious, so she was glad that they were slowly going back to where they used to be. It was fun mocking him.

They drove for a few more hours before they stopped at hilly field by a lake. It was similar to a beach, but it had the view of the city lights. Haley happily parked the car onto the grass and jogged over to the bank of the lake.

"This is close enough," she spoke.

He followed her towards the lake, picked up a few rocks from the ground and threw them along the surface of the water. As he did that, Haley knelt down and began to feel the water with her hands. It was cold and decided to splash some onto him.

"HEY!" he cried out at the feel of water on his arms. He knelt down next to her and did the same thing. She glared at him for taking revenge on her and splashed him one more time before standing back up. Before turning away to continue walking, she laughed at the way he looked. He looked like a wet puppy.

Then hopped away and started observing the hills and the city skyline. He stayed kneeling on the ground and observed her childlike ways.

"Were you kidding about what you told me earlier?" he asked as she turned around to face him. With curiosity written on her face, he said, "You said you liked me."

Haley's heart stopped for a second, "I was joking around, remember?"

"But you looked serious," he stated, standing up from the floor. She grew nervous when she noticed him approaching her. She cleared her throat and hoped that he didn't come any closer to her. As soon as he stopped in his tracks, she was relieved by the distance.

"I like you too," he stated. Her eyes widened. "You're like a sister to me," he lied. He swallowed and felt the speed of his pulse quicken. He wanted to say that liked her as sister because he wanted to have a reason to treat her differently from other girls without being more. He would protect her, care for her, _love her_ and keep her by his side. He didn't think he could handle her being something more. _Sister?_ _He likes me as a sister? "_You like me as a brother, right? Isn't that what you meant earlier?" he questioned, wanting so much to hear her say yes.

She didn't know what to say. The idea of him being a brother to her was the last thing she saw him as. But if it meant that they could still be by each other's side, she would be happy with that.

"Yeah," she lied and turned around to continue walking along the border of the lake.

He didn't know why Nathan was holding his feeling inside. He was going to leave anyways, he didn't want to get involved with someone for such a short time and leave them for a year or two. He couldn't do that to her. And being a brother to her was the closest he could be to her. He was willing to settle for that even if it was painful.

He stood there; observing her as she slowly walked along the border of the lake and couldn't help but notice the gloominess in her appearance. She went from giddy to sad so fast. So he jogged up to her. For a second he hesitated, but went for it anyways and grabbed her hand in his.

She was surprised to feel his hand wrapped around hers and looked at him curiously.

"A brother can hold his sister's hand, right?" he stated.

She was hesitant to answer, but she said, "Of course."

She quickly became startled at the movement of his fingers as he intertwined them with hers. Nathan looked away to hide the expression on his face and blew out a deep breath. Their hands were like a perfect fit. He didn't expect so much intensity in one simple human behavior. Technically it was just two hands locked together, but to both of them, it felt like they melting into each other.

There was so much tension between them, it was hard to bear. Both wanted so much to get rid of their feelings, to shoo them away but they were becoming more and more attached each passing day. It was hard to handle and hard to resolve.

**

* * *

**

After a long walk in silence, Nathan and Haley decided to rest for a bit. She found a thick blanket in his car and laid it across the grass. And they gazed at the glowing city across the lake.

"Since I'm like a sister to you, does that mean you'll protect me from now on?" she asked, as she traced the outline of the tallest building with her finger.

He glanced at her and noticed how she was gazing at the city. "Yeah," he answered softly. "I'll protect you from drunken men, slippery floors, curbs, speeding cars and Casanovas," he added.

She smiled at the way he described every event he saved her in.

"I'll protect you too," she said, turning to him. He grew curious. "From red headed girls," she added. He slowly smirked at her before Haley slowly laid against the blanket. "I'm tired," she groaned.

"Then we should head back then," he stated.

"Let me take a small nap first," she replied.

He chuckled when he noticed her shut her eyes. "Okay."

After ten minutes, Haley fell into her deep sleep. She was snoring at first, causing Nathan to laugh, but then it stopped. He was lying next to her watching the stars the whole night and thought about Haley. Was he really going to go through with this sibling loving game that he created? After a while of thinking about it and knowing how much pain that would cause him, he wasn't quite sure anymore.

Haley moved to her side, her back to him and started scratching her arm. He turned to her and noticed that the jacket he had given her fell off her shoulders, so he rested on his elbows to put it back into place. As he did that, he observed her beauty. He looked at her eyes, her nose, her cheeks, her skin and her lips. It seemed like she got prettier and prettier every second he glanced at her.

Before, when she was sleeping in the living room, he resisted to caress her cheeks. But this time, he couldn't stop himself. He slowly but hesitantly moved his fingers along her soft, silky hair and then stopped when he felt the energy again. Then he found himself moving closer to her and lightly wrapped his arm around her waist. With his other arm stretched above them, he came close in contact with her hair and lightly kissed it for a few seconds. He could literally feel his heart throbbing in his chest like it was ready to combust. So he slowly pulled away and sat up to catch his breath.

His eyes furrowed and he swallowed the lump in his throat. He glanced back at Haley's sleeping figure and drew out a deep sigh.

* * *

_**What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired! :)**_


	10. Lie 10

**A/N:** READERS! I am so sorry for the three day delay. I had so much going on in the past few days that I couldn't take the time to update. I really apologize for that. I had some issues to resolve, my dog was sick, baby sitting and many other things. I just had so much to do and I just couldn't concentrate, but I tried my best to write bits and bits of this chapter for you. It's not as long as my latest chapters. I'm trying to make my chapter lengthy as possible, but this wasn't as lengthy as I expected but the future chapters will be so much longer than this. I hope you can forgive me for skipping three days! AGH haha I feel bad. I was anxious to update though. And I would like to thank you all for the wonderful, lengthy reviews you all have been given me, especially for my wonderful **Maria** who preread most of my earlier chapters, you're amazing. And to **23bNrAuLcEaYs**, again I praise you for your detailed reviews. I never get tired of them. I wish I could write a longer A/N BUT! I will be too busy writing the next chapter lol. So I HOPE YOU ENJOY THIS CHAPTER. KEEP ME INSPIRED!

Annie

* * *

**Chapter 10 "Lie 10"**

"Sister," she whispered as she laid in her bed thinking about the night before. _Sister?_ It was going to take her a while to get use to. It was a relationship that went past friendship but was less than a lover. But it meant that they were going to closer than they used to be. Being by his side was all she wanted, but she knew eventually she was going to want more.

She rolled out of bed, leaving it unmade, and dragged herself out of her room. It was quiet in the house. She didn't hear his shower or his hip hop music blaring from the bathroom. It was strange. So she tip toed up the stairs to his room. When she did, she found him sprawled out on his bed, his face down in his pillow.

She grew concerned and glanced at the time. _Seven fifteen. He has work in fifteen minutes. What the hell is he doing still in bed?_ She started browsing his room and reached the fish tank with the fish she bought him. She smiled at Dick and remembered his reaction when she told him that she was going to name the fish after him. Then she glanced at Nathan, and walked over to the side of his bed.

She knelt down beside him at eye level. His face was still down on the pillow until he turned and faced her, his eyes still shut. And she continued to observe his masculine features. She reached over to play with his long eye lashes. As she did that, he winced at the light tickle on his eye. She quickly pulled back and giggled. _He is so cute._ She placed her chin down against his bed and continued watching him sleep.

Still admiring his handsomeness, his eyes fluttered opened. And the first thing that Nathan did was look and wondered what she was doing. Haley quickly grew uncomfortable and parted away from him.

He lifted his eyebrows at her as she walked away from him. He was amused and surprised to see her face the minute he woke up. He kind of liked it. Then he lazily sat up on his bed, clearly still tired. She glanced at him from the wall and noticed that he was wearing a black wife beater and a pair of his usual striped pajama pants.

"What time is it?" he asked, rubbing his eyes.

Embarrassed from their little moment, Haley answered. "Um you have twelve minutes until you have to go to work."

He quickly turned to the clock and panicked. "Damn it, Haley! How come you didn't wake me?" he yelled, climbing out of his bed to go to his closet.

"I – I don't know. I just woke up a few minutes ago," she retorted. "You should've put your alarm on."

"I forgot," he mumbled as she picked out his outfit for the day. "I have a meeting in thirty minutes. I knew you shouldn't have taken that long nap last night. We would've been home earlier."

She scowled. "I was sleepy!" she cried out. "And as I remember, you said that you liked me as a sister, so be nice!"

He pulled out his clothes and placed it over his bed. "Haven't I already been doing that?"

"Yeah, but we're always fighting."

"That's what brothers and sisters do," he stated. "They fight, and at the same time they reconcile."

She scoffed. "So there's no difference from what we were in the beginning?"

"Yeah there is," he said softly. "We're going to take care of each other this time." He looked at her, noticing that her glare had softened. "Like you're supposed to wake me up so I won't be late to work. I have to change, so get out."

Her scowl came back and she brushed past him to leave. "I'm giving you frozen waffles for breakfast," she grumbled as she walked out of his room.

"Good! Cause there's no time to make pancakes!" he yelled with a smirk on his face.

**

* * *

**

"I can't believe her dad actually came back all these years!" Brooke exclaimed as her and her little family walked around the board walk for lunch.

"Where is he staying?" Lucas asked as he handed Marley a little bear.

"At the beach house. I don't know how long he's going to be there," she replied. "He said that he just finished a photo shoot, so he could be leaving soon."

"Shouldn't we tell Haley?"

"No, she doesn't want anything to do with him."

"Come on, you know she really doesn't mean that," Lucas stated. "You know she misses him. I think we should tell her."

"And expect what? Her to go crawling back into her father's arms? I don't think she'll do that."

Lucas shook his head. "You know, she has less than a month left until her rent. If she doesn't get enough money to pay that and everything else, she'll have to go to her father. The money we're saving up for her isn't enough either. I think as her best friend; we should let her father know about how she's really doing."

"She's going to hate us if we meddle with anything," she replied as they stopped to sit at a table.

"Would you rather her live on the streets in debt or have her living on her feet in a nice home?"

"She's living in a nice home right now."

"For one more month, Brooke. And she'll be back here, struggling again."

Brooke sat there, analyzing her thoughts as she heard her husband speak wisely. Even if she was trying to follow Haley's wishes in not getting into anything, or helping her, she wanted Haley to be fine. To be okay and to not worry so much about money anymore.

She sighed and placed her face into her hands.

**

* * *

**

Haley took a break from cleaning the house and went out to lunch with Jake. He was more like a brother to her than Nathan was. Jake gave her a different type of comfort and warmth; it was sweet and simple, not romantic at all.

As she downed all her sea food, she noticed something about Jake. He kept looking at her strangely as if he wanted to ask her something but he was holding back.

"Are you going to eat that?" she asked, ignoring his stare. He shook his head and she grabbed his plate of fish.

He continued to watch her take pieces off the fish and dipped it in some tartar sauce. She could feel his eyes on her as she ate and she grew even more uncomfortable.

"Jake," she asked with food in her mouth.

"Yeah?"

"Do you want to tell me something?" She continued chewing her food as she waited for him to respond.

"Uh, no why?"

"Because you look like you want to tell me something. What is it?" she questioned.

"Do I look like I have something to say?" he asked curiously.

"Just spill it," she ordered.

He sighed deeply, scared of how she might react. He wasn't even quite sure how to ask her. It was information he found out on his own.

"I was just wondering," he began. She looked at him, interested in the rest of his sentence. "Have you always been like this?"

"Hmm?"

"I mean, have you always struggled with money?"

She stopped chewing her food and slowly wiped her mouth. "Not always," she stated, not clearly revealing anything.

"But you did have money before, right? A lot of it."

Haley grew even more nervous. He knew something about her and she didn't quite know how to handle it. She swallowed the lump in her throat and didn't say anything in response.

"You're wealthy aren't you?" he asked.

"Where is this coming from?"

He could see how uncomfortable she was getting and decided to be a little bit gentler. "I over heard a few people talk about you at the hotel. They said something about how you refuse to get help from your wealthy father," he stated.

_Brooke and Lucas_. Her jaw tightened at the thought of her best friends. That was what she was worried about. She knew that Jake and Rachel were going to be there. And she knew something would happen if they stayed the night. They obviously couldn't keep their mouths shut.

"Is your father also Jimmy James?" he asked.

She cleared her throat and took a sip of water from her glass. She closed her eyes and nodded slowly. "Mmm hmm."

"Wow," he whispered.

She opened her eyes and looked at him with guilt. "The only reason I refuse to ask my father for help is because we got in a fight and I ran away. He told me that I wouldn't make it out there on my own, and I wanted to prove to him that I can. I'm sorry that I fooled you," she apologized.

"Why are you apologizing? You didn't do anything wrong," he smiled. "You're a wealthy girl but you don't live off your father's money. That's nothing to be ashamed of."

She sighed deeply and thought of Nathan. "But I'm ashamed of what I'm doing to Nathan," she said.

"Why?"

"He told me yesterday that he admired me for being able to live my whole life with little money and still have a smile on my face. He thinks that I'm doing it to help my family. But I'm not. I'm a conniver. I'm a liar. I'm selfish. I'm trying to prove something to my father and I'm not poor," she stated. "I black mailed the guy into giving me money when I could've asked my own father for it. I'm mooching off someone else's money. Wouldn't you be ashamed of that? "

"Haley," he began.

"_Because I am ashamed,"_ she emphasized.

"I think he'll understand if you tell him," Jake advised.

"No, I don't think he will. I'm _using_ him, Jake. I'm taking advantage of him so that I could get money and live a stabled life in order to prove something to my father," she replied. "So please don't tell him about any of this," she begged.

He could see the want in her eyes as if she was begging to be saved. She must've grown attached to Nathan somehow for her to act this way.

"I won't tell," he said softly. "I promise."

"Thank you," she replied. "I'll pay you back for all the dinners and lunches and even for the clothes."

"Hey, don't worry about it," he responded. "I got your back."

She was relieved that at least one of the cousins wasn't mad at her for fooling them. She really didn't want Nathan to know about it. Losing him was the last thing that she wanted. So hopefully Jake could keep his promise and keep the secret.

**

* * *

**

Today was busier than most days, so Nathan got off work later than usual. Guests were coming in and leaving, and the paparazzi were still sitting outside waiting to catch a glimpse of Rachel. Even if they hardly talked anymore, he still had the right to protect her well-being. Those pictures that Haley had were useless now. Rachel and Nathan hardly talked anymore, but knowing the public, they'd make something out of nothing especially if those pictures were put up on the internet. Sometimes, he even wondered if Haley still had them in her camera.

As he walked out of the hotel, passing all the paparazzi sitting outside, his phone rang.

"Hello?"

"Nathan!" his mother cried out. "Come to the hospital right now. Your grandmother just had a heart attack."

Right then he had to catch his breath before he hung up and ran to his car. He sped off to the nearest hospital, but traffic was tough, so he was stuck. It was already a little late, so he had to make sure Haley knew where he was.

"Haley," he greeted her on the phone.

"Yes?"

"I'm going to be a little late getting home. There's been an emergency," he stated.

Haley's heart stopped for a second. "What kind of emergency?"

"My grandmother just had a heart attack," he answered as he stretched his neck to the side in order to see what was causing the traffic.

"Should I come with you?"

"No, no," he replied. "Just stay there and I'll be home, okay?"

"Okay," she sighed as they both hung up on each other. Haley was in the middle of sweeping the floors when he called. Now after knowing about his grandmother's health, she couldn't focus anymore. She had met the woman once and she loved her instantly. His grandmother was sweet and kind, she even laughed at all of Haley's lame jokes and antics. She didn't want anything bad to happen to her now.

When Nathan finally got himself out of traffic, he parked at the hospital and hurried to the floor where his grandmother was staying in. His mother and Jake were already in the waiting room with concern written all over their faces.

"How is she?" he asked, approaching the two.

"She's in surgery right now," Deb answered as she held her hand on her mouth to keep herself from crying.

"She's going to be okay, right?" Nathan questioned, growing anxious every second that passed by.

"We don't know yet, Nathan." Nathan walked over to his mother and held her tightly to him for comfort. This was one of the worst things that could possibly happen to him and his family. When he lost his grandfather, it took a toll on everyone, and he didn't want that to happen again with his grandmother. If she left them, his mother would be alone and she wouldn't have gotten the chance to see him with someone he was with happy like she wanted him to.

And they sat in the waiting room for hours before the doctor finally came out after surgery with his grandmother's file on a clipboard.

"Are you Mrs. Scott's family?" the doctor asked.

They lifted from their seats and said, "Yes," in unison.

"Okay, well. We found a few blood clots in her coronary arteries which blocked the blood flow to her heart and caused her heart attack. We fixed it though and now she's resting in her room. It's probably caused from stress and eating unhealthy foods. So I am advising you to put her on a healthier diet and a daily exercise routine. But she's doing well. She needs to stay for a few more days until her health is regulated," he explained.

"I'm glad that she's fine," Deb stated. "Are we allowed to see her?"

"She's still resting from the surgery," he answered. "But visiting hours will start back up in the morning. It's okay. Things are okay."

They all nodded and watched as he left.

"I should've known not to let her eat all that junk food," Deb stated as she sat back down on the chairs.

"Mom, it's not your fault, okay? It- it just happened," Nathan said, putting his hand against her back.

"I should've been watching after her. She's been really taking your grandfather's death hard. I bet that was part of the reason," she sighed, putting her face into her hands. "I should've been watching her more often."

"She's fine now. You have another chance to take care of her, Aunt Deb," Jake suggested.

"I know, I just feel bad that this even had to happen at all."

Nathan could see the pain and disappointment that his mother was giving herself. He knew it wasn't her fault and he tried to convince her that everything would be fine, but until his grandmother opened her eyes, she will continue blaming herself for this. As Jake consoled Deb, Nathan decided to walk down the hall to his grandmother's room. He wasn't allowed to go inside, but through the window of the door he could see her lying there helplessly. He could tell that this was from a broken heart. It was obvious that the trauma and stress from his grandfather's death really affected her. It was a sad sight to see.

**

* * *

**

It had been a few hours since Nathan called her from the highway and she continued to worry for him. She finished cleaning the kitchen and bathroom and went off to her room to wait for him. She just wanted to make sure he was okay.

And so she laid in her bed, and looked out the window where the pool water lights gleamed. She stared longingly until she heard the door open. She quickly sat up on her bed and heard it lightly shut. She didn't hear foot steps up the stairs or anything. So she waited a while before she stepped out of her room to check on him.

Walking quietly down the dark hallway, she saw the small light of the lampshade in the living room. On the couch, she could only see the back of his head. He was leaned forward on his knees with his face in his hands like he was upset. But of course he would be upset. His grandmother just had a heart attack.

"Nathan?" she asked quietly, tip toing around the couch to see his face. "Is everything fine?"

He sighed deeply from the sound of her voice and leaned back on the couch with a distressed face.

"I haven't felt like this in years," he stated. She walked over to sit beside him on the couch. "Seeing her lying there helplessly made me realize all the things that I should be doing with my life."

Haley noticed the distance and pain in his eyes. She couldn't really see it, but she thought she saw a few tears well up in them. And the wrinkles on his forehead appeared again.

"Is she okay?" she questioned.

"Yeah," he answered softly. "But even if she is okay, she's still lying in that hospital. I should've been more cautious of her health." He looked down, saddened by the thought of his grandmother leaving him, and fought away the tears.

Feeling remorse, she leaned over and placed her hand over his forehead to smooth away the wrinkles. As she did that, she lightly pushed his hair to the side. And then she felt his hand move on top of hers before she could pull away. He kept it there like he didn't want her to stop. It surprised her at first, but then she relaxed when she saw the sadness in his eyes when he looked at her.

"You make me feel better," he whispered.

She swallowed the lump in her throat and lightly cringed at what she was about to say next. "It's what a sister is supposed to do. I'm supposed to take care of you, remember?"

He furrowed his eyes at the sound of her words and lightly removed his hand from hers. He had forgotten about the sibling love game that he created. He still couldn't believe he did that, because hearing her call him her brother was even more painful than being called a friend.

"You should get some rest, you must be tired," Haley suggested as she felt the tension between them. She quickly stood up from the chair and smiled at him before walking back into her room.

**

* * *

**

Ever since Haley heard about Nathan's grandmother collapsing, she wanted to take care of him even more. She knew what it was like to lose a loved one. It must've been hard to be so close to losing his grandmother. So in the mornings she would try to cheer him up before he headed to work. Sometimes it would be a lame joke or she would bicker around with him about his hair or his outfits. But it was hard trying to be a sister to him. Because all she wanted to do was hold him in her arms and tell him that everything would be fine. And she couldn't do that, at least not in that kind of intimate level.

Since Nathan was busy working at the hotel, Haley decided to pack up a nice lunch for him and his grandmother just in case they were hungry. So she created chicken noodle soup with a cup of apple sauce, crackers, carrots, and a cold drink of iced tea. Then she took a bus ride to the hotel since she still didn't have her car.

When she finally made it to the hotel, she walked past all the paparazzi that were still hiding bushes and cars, and entered. She still remembered how close she was to being part of that horrible job. To think of it, she still had those pictures in her memory card. Those were the real reasons why she was here and how she got to this point. If it weren't for her taking those photos and being unprofessional, she wouldn't have fallen so hard for Nathan.

She walked up the stairs to the second floor lobby and found Nathan walking out from one of the meetings rooms. Her face lit up at the sight of him focusing on a pack of papers and jogged over to him giddily.

From afar, Rachel and her assistant were walking down the lobby when she noticed Haley practically skipping over to the Nathan. Nancy was busy mumbling her schedule for the week as Rachel curiously watched them. She saw the cheery girl walk up to Nathan with what seemed to be a lunch bag. He looked at her curiously as the girl mumbled something to him with a smile. After she spoke, a grin appeared on his face and held the bag in his hands.

"I've seen that girl a couple of times," Rachel whispered.

"Who?" Nancy asked, looking up from her agenda book.

"Her," Rachel pointed out.

Nancy pushed her glasses up her nose and observed Nathan and the mysterious girl. "Wasn't she at that wedding? I think that's Jake's date."

"Yeah, I remember, but I've seen her a few times before that,"' Rachel stated as they both continued to stare. She saw the girl lightly slap Nathan on the arm. She became tense at how friendly they were and observed the girl's face. Instantly, she remembered where she was from. "She's the girl I saw at Nathan's house," she stated.

"That's her?" Nancy questioned.

"Yes, she was at his house when I came over to his house," Rachel replied, growing a little angry. "If she was Jake's date, what was she doing with Nathan?" she wondered.

Nathan and Haley continued joking around before they both turned to go back downstairs. As soon as Haley turned her head, Rachel's eyes widened. She was wearing the same red tank and jeans from a month ago. And that was when she knew, she knew exactly who she was. _That paparazzi girl!_

**

* * *

**

Driving to the hospital, Nathan turned to his side and watched Haley sitting there with the lunch pack on her lap, smiling. He thought it was really kind of her to offer food to his grandmother at the hospital. For the past few days, Haley had been even more comforting than she was before. He wasn't sure if it was because she was sympathizing with him or if it was part of their sibling love pact, but he liked it. Although it was hard to pretend to love her differently, he wasn't complaining about her kindness. They did say there were supposed to take care of each other. And that's exactly what she was doing.

"You think she'll remember me?" Haley asked once they started walking down the hall to her room.

"I'm sure she will," Nathan replied. "Even though she's old she has a pretty solid memory."

"I'm sure the last time she saw me, I was eating everything off the table," she pouted. "She's going to think I'm a pig."

He chuckled and stopped at the door. "For the time that I've known you, _you are_ a pig."

She scowled at him before he opened the door to the room, revealing his grandmother sitting up with her glasses on and a book in her hands. She lifted her head and lit up at the sight of her grandson walking in. And right behind him was Haley – the adorable girl she met at the wedding.

"Hey beautiful," Nathan greeted as he walked over to the side of the bed and kissed her on the cheek.

"Hi, what are you doing here," she questioned. She parted from their embrace and moved her eyes to Haley who was standing shyly behind him. "And you brought a friend."

"Haley made you lunch," he stated. Haley stepped forward and lifted the lunch bag up for her to see.

"I heard about what happened and I thought I'd come in for a visit," she smiled as she unzipped the packet.

"That is so sweet of you!" His grandmother smiled and put her booklet to the side so that Haley would place all the food on her tray. She pulled out a plastic container of soup, apple sauce, the other items and then a little note.

"What's this?" his grandmother asked, picking up the paper.

"My mom would always leave a nice note to me when she packed my lunch for a school. It's just a few encouraging words to get better, that kind of stuff."

She unfolded the letter and grinned at the words and little pictures Haley had drawn on it. It definitely made her day. "Thank you so much," she said as she opened her arms for an embrace. "Did you bring anything for yourself?"

Haley looked at her confused. "Oh, I already ate."

"Are you sure? I saw you scarf all that food at the wedding." Nathan let out a laugh and sat down on the couch in the corner. Haley quickly turned at the sound of his laugh and gave him a look.

"I'm fine," she stated, looking back at his grandmother. "I made this for you. So you should eat."

The elderly lady nodded and opened the container of soup. "Wow, this smells good. Did you make this?"

"Yes ma'm. I didn't put a lot of salt in there. I know that it's not good for the heart," Haley stated as she stood there and watched as Nathan's grandmother held the plastic spoon full of soup up to her lips. She waited for her to swallow it and anticipated for the reaction. There wasn't much expression on her face, but when she noticed her going for another scoop, she was happy.

For the rest of the hour, his grandmother finished eating her lunch and Haley suggested a game to play. It was little violent, a little childish, it was the slapping game. As Haley and his grandmother continued playing, Nathan watched from the foot of the bed as Haley let his grandmother win.

Haley had her hands in front of her, her palms up with the elderly lady's hands on top, and she tried to slap her hands, but instead acted like she missed them.

"What are you doing?" the old woman asked when she noticed how Haley wasn't giving it her all.

"What?"

"You're letting me win."

"No, I'm not. You're just good at this game," Haley lied, resetting their hands.

"I know I'm not that good. I'm old and I just had a heart attack, but that doesn't mean you should let me win," she stated. "I'm not going to collapse again if you hit me just once."

"Are you sure? I'm just worried that –"

"Stop," she halted her. "And let's play fair."

As they did, Haley repositioned their hands and this time, Haley didn't hold back.

"Ow!" grandma yelped.

"Oh my God!" Haley quickly held her hand and started rubbing it. "I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to hit you that hard. See I told you."

"It's fine," she replied. "I'm not going to drop dead."

Haley's heart stopped for a second before Nathan came over and grabbed her hand.

"Let's play before you start leaving bruises on my grandmother's hands." She slowly turned to Nathan, with a pouty face and positioned their hands for the game. Haley's was on top while Nathan's was underneath and they played for a few minutes, obviously hitting each other in a fair game.

"OW! That was a bit too strong Nathan!" Haley cried out, shaking her hand away from him to ease the stinging pain. His grandmother laughed when she saw the adorable girl hit her grandson across the arm. She grew curious of their relationship and wondered if something was going on with them. It was apparent that Jake and Haley had something, but watching these two reacting together, she could see and feel the chemistry.

When they were about to start a new game, he noticed that Haley couldn't stop wiggling around.

"What's wrong with you?" he asked curiously.

"I have to pee," she answered. She quickly pulled apart from him and jumped off the bed. "I'll be right back," and she ran out of the room as quickly as she could.

They both watched her disappear from the door and chuckled.

"She has such a cheerful soul," his grandmother stated as he turned away from the door. "She reminds me of myself when I was in my twenties." He smiled. "Where'd you and Jake find her?"

Nathan took a moment to think about that. They both found her randomly roaming around the city, that's how they found her. It kind of made him laugh to think about how they became who they were now. She was swindling him into giving her a job and he was insulting her every move. Now, it was different. They actually grew fond of each other, at least he was, he thought.

"At work," he answered.

"She's pretty," his grandmother stated. "Don't you think?"

He pictured her face in his head. She was definitely pretty to him. She grew even more beautiful every second.

"Yeah," he agreed.

**

* * *

**

Instead of Nathan dropping Haley back off at the house, she begged him to let her browse around the city with her camera. Without thinking about the paparazzi pictures, he approved so she grabbed her camera from the house and they headed back to the hotel.

Nathan went back to work while Haley walked around the park, snapping pictures of random people and things. She stepped forward, behind a tree, to catch a glimpse of the old couple sitting at one of the benches. There was an old woman wrapped in a red cardigan and floral skirt and an old man wearing a black shirt, tan vest, and a fedora on top of his head. The old woman had her head rested on her "supposed" husband's shoulder while he held a book in front of them. She noticed his lips moving like he was reading it out loud to her. It was such a beautiful scene, so Haley quickly snapped a few photos of it. It was incredible to see a couple at that age so happy and in love like that. A bond like that must've taken a lot of work.

She smiled after taking few snaps and started walking along the sidewalk. Looking to her right, she noticed a little girl reaching into the fountain. She had long blonde hair and an old navy dress on. She went _click click click _and pulled her camera away from her eyes to review the photos.

First it was the photos of the little girl at the fountain, the elderly couple, a couple of Jake and the city. Then eventually she came across the photos of Nathan and Rachel in the hotel – holding hands, kissing each other's cheek - like a real couple. She winced at them and quickly turned her camera off.

Once she looked up, she noticed a short lady with glasses standing in front of her.

"Hi," she greeted.

Haley looked at her curiously and waved at her hesitantly. "Hi?"

"I'm Nancy," she stated. "You're Haley right?"

"Yeah, I'm Haley. Do I know you?"

"I'm Miss Gatina's assistant. I just wanted to ask you a few questions."

"Um," Haley began and started stepping to the side to get away from her. "Can I ask why?"

Nancy caught up with her and they began walking together around the park. "She wanted to know a few things about you."

Haley furrowed her eyes and turned her in confusion. "What's there to know?"

"She noticed how friendly you've been with the cousins," Nancy began. Haley instantly thought of Nathan and Jake and she grew nervous. "'She was wondering how you knew them?"

"Um, we met a while back," Haley answered nervously.

"How long ago?"

"Like a month. I really can't remember." She pulled the camera up to her eye and took a picture.

Nancy could see that Haley was trying to further herself away from her and nodded her head. So she pulled out a little card with Rachel's number on it and handed it to Haley.

"Here, this is Rachel's number. She wants you to call her up," she said.

Haley held the card in her hands and glanced at the unfamiliar digits. She had a feeling that Rachel knew something. She was kind of afraid. First Jake knew, now Rachel was curious of her whereabouts. Things were starting unravel slowly before her eyes.

"Do it before she leaves next week," Nancy stated before she walked away, leaving Haley dumbstruck from their small conversation. When she noticed the middle-aged woman leave, she quickly flipped her phone out of her pocket and called Jake.

"Sup," he greeted.

"Jake!" she exclaimed. "Did you tell anyone about my secret?"

"No, why?"

"Because Rachel's assistant came up to me asking me weird questions. She said that Rachel wanted to talk to me."

"I didn't say a word to anyone, Haley. I made a promise."

"Then what the hell is going on here?" she questioned, looking around her to see if anybody was watching her.

"Do you want me to figure it out?" he offered.

"N-no. Don't do anything yet," she answered quickly. "I'll just call her and ask her what she wants."

"Now?"

"Later," she replied.

"Maybe she doesn't know anything and just wants to talk."

"Why would she want to talk to me? There's got to be a reason," she sighed and walked over to the bus stop to leave.

"I don't know."

She groaned and said, "Well, I better head back home. I have some cleaning to do before Nathan heads home tonight. My heart's not really going to be in it now that this has come up."

"Okay. Just tell me if anything helps. I'll be happy to help."

"Thanks, Jake."

She hung up the phone and waited for the bus to stop where she was. The she climbed in with the rest of the group and headed back home with a head full of a million thoughts.

**

* * *

**

In the office, Nathan sat at his desk tossing a ball of paper that he had crumpled up. It was a piece of paper full of pros and cons of why he should remain being Haley's brother.

_Pros: I can love her. I can keep her close. I can protect her. I can threaten other boys from dating her. I can argue with her. I can leave her. I can hug her. She can still live in my house. She will remain by my side._

_Cons: I can't fall in love with her. I can't hold her in my arms for so long. I can't stop her from liking anyone else. She will never know how I feel. I will go crazy having her around so much._

Throwing it up and down in the air, he focused his eye on the trash can and created a game of his own.

"If I make this shot, I will stop becoming her brother and tell her what's been bothering me and if I don't make it, I stay her brother," he stated. He positioned his arms in front of him, keeping his eyes on the basket and he threw it. He watched as it glided across the room and hit the rim of the basket, but missed it and fell onto the carpet.

He hissed and leaned back in his seat in frustration. "Damn it!"

Even if that shot meant that he had to stay her brother, he wasn't going to follow through with it. Seeing her bonding with his grandmother earlier today made him smile and want her even more. His grandmother actually liked her which was a surprise because she was picky. She was becoming more and more perfect in his eyes. At first she was the complete opposite of his type, but now things had changed. He had to stop this whole pretending game now. He couldn't take it anymore. So he did what he thought would make things better before he left for Europe. He was going to ignore her. If he could do it with Rachel, maybe it could work with Haley.

So when he drove back home to the house, he found Haley mopping the floors lifelessly. He could tell that something was bothering her, but he wasn't going to interfere with her personal life. So instead of insulting her or saying something about her cleaning, he strode across the living room and climbed up the stairs.

Haley noticed the way he ignored her and looked up at him on the stairs.

"How was work?" she asked.

"Good," he replied dryly and shut his door.

She stopped mopping and curiously stared at his room. She could see his shadow from the balcony, but then he leaned over and closed the curtains so she couldn't see him at all. Stunned, she continued cleaning. Something must've happened at work today, she thought.

"That goes for both of us," she stated.

* * *

_**What do you think? You like? Keep me inspired.**_


	11. Lie 11

**A/N:** READERS! Guess what? I'm updating. You didn't have to wait 3 days like before. Aren't you happy? hehe. I sure am, but anyways. And I agree, those three days were a long time. And seeing how you all felt made me feel bad, but I'm back in the groove. Almost haha. The story is about to reach it's climax, so things are going to get a little bit more serious than usual, but it will still have it's light hearted moments. I will not fail you on that. I absolutely am very blessed again with your wonderful, lengthy reviews. **Katie!** my love, I almost _did_ think you forgot about my story. I would pout when I wouldn't see a review from you, but when I saw your review I was thrilled. I was over joyed! But I was overjoyed every single review I received. Really. All your words help me to keep on writing. I especially love it when yall analyze the hidden messages in the scenes. It just makes the story even better! Gaw. _I wish I could thank you all individually, I think I might put on a special update at the end of the story for all my readers. I think that would be very fair, wouldn't it? _And I can see that people are curious about Rachel's intentions. It will be coming up in the next few chapters, also Jimmy will be included in that too. Things are about to get messy! I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as I did writing it!

**Annie**

_P.S. OH! and yes my dog is fine. He had a swollen gland :( but now he's on antibiotics. And I hope my friendship is okay. I ignored her for six months because I wanted get away from her negative energy for while. I know it sounds cruel, but what can you do when you aren't in a positive light? She didn't understand but I think I explained everything to her well. grr. Friendships are hard. That just goes to show that you have to be honest in any kind of relationship, especially a friendship. :)_

* * *

**Chapter 11 "Lie 11"**

It was weird this time. Instead of Haley trying to avoid Nathan, he was avoiding her. For the past few days, he would wake up, take a shower, eat his breakfast and leave. Then he would come home and not even say a word to her. Maybe one or two words about cleaning and paying her, but other than that, he spoke very little. And she grew irritated by it.

Nathan was trying his hardest to keep his distance, and it was kind of working but Haley would start bothering him or throw random things like socks at him to annoy him, but he wouldn't budge. He could tell that it was making Haley frustrated, but it was the only way he could stop himself from liking her even more.

Entering the kitchen, he noticed that Haley was holding a knife and chopping up a cucumber. He watched her carefully while he buttoned the end of his sleeves – afraid that she'd get hurt. Then he looked down to roll his sleeves up and heard Haley yelp. He quickly glanced up and noticed that her finger was bleeding.

"Agh!" she cried.

He could tell that she was in pain and wanted so much to heal it for her, but he backed away. He didn't want to try and take care of her again. He just couldn't, so he let her take care of herself.

"Why are you so prone to accidents?" he asked, walking past her to go to the fridge, trying his best to avoid her.

She wiped the blood off her skin and put it to her mouth to suck out the rest of the blood. Then she glanced at him, annoyed by his comment, and washed her hand underneath some cold water.

"You're finally talking," she stated coldly. "Surprise!"

"Am I not allowed to say anything?" he asked, pouring himself a glass of orange juice.

"By the way you've been acting lately, I had a feeling that you'd become mute," she stated. "I'd probably be happy with that. I wouldn't have to hear your ear straining voice anymore," she laughed.

Nathan's jaw tightened and downed his drink before he put the carton back into the fridge. He didn't say anything in response and walked out of the kitchen to go back to his room. Haley watched him curiously, wondering why he didn't say anything in return. She didn't really mean what she said. She was only trying to push his buttons so he could talk to her more, but he took it too seriously.

She bit her lip, and attempted to cut more slices of cucumber, but couldn't stand the cold shoulder Nathan was giving her. So she dropped the knife, and marched up to Nathan's room. She purposely stomped on the steps so that she could annoy him even more. And she entered his room where Nathan was stepping into his shoes.

"Is something wrong?" she asked with her hands on her hips. "Did I do something wrong?"

He avoided her eyes and stuck his finger at the back of shoe so that his heel could squeeze inside. "No," he answered.

"There's got to be something bothering you. You've been avoiding me the past few days," she stated, walking closer to him.

"Haley, I don't have time for this. I have work in half an hour," he stated, walking to his closet to grab his jacket.

"You have plenty of time to explain to me why you're acting this way."

"Haley, I'm just not in the mood."

"Did your grandmother get worse? Is she okay?" she asked, thinking of reasons why he was being so distant.

He slipped his arms into his jacket and adjusted the collar. "She's fine. She was released yesterday."

"Then what the hell is wrong with you? I'd really like to know."

"I have to go to work," he stated and climbed down the stairs. Haley's blood began to boil and followed him out of the house and to his car. He noticed that she was behind him and grew frustrated by her stubbornness.

"Stop following me!" he ordered.

"I won't go anywhere until you tell me what's wrong!" she retorted.

Nathan ignored her and climbed into his vehicle. He started his engine, but Haley stomped right in front of his car before he could press on the gas. His eyes widened at the sight of her. His heart began to race and he grew nervous.

_What the hell is she doing?_

She continued to stand there, staring him down until he finally gave in. She wasn't going to let him go until he told her what was wrong with him. He was acting so weird that she couldn't take it. She thought that since they were brother and sister that they would be closer, but his actions were contradicting his words.

Even when he beeped his car a few times to push her away, she didn't budge. He angrily climbed out of his car and dragged her out of the way and placed her back inside the house. Then he marched back to his car, but Haley came out again and climbed into the passenger seat.

"Haley!" he yelled.

"Nathan!" she shouted back.

"Get out now!" he ordered.

"Not until you tell me why you're acting like this!"

He huffed, climbed back out of the car and opened her door. "I said get out," he ordered curtly, waiting for her to climb out.

Haley could feel her temperature rise as she remained seated in his car. She locked her self into the seat with the seat belt and reached over to turn on his stereo, startling Nathan. He grew angry and reached over to turn it off, but Haley would turn it back it on to make him even more irritated. After their brief battle over the radio, Nathan had enough and unbuckled her seat belt and pulled her out.

"Why are you treating me this way? You said I was like a sister to you!" she cried out, whipping her hands out of his grip.

He started breathing heavier and looked at her curiously. "Do you really want that? Do you really want me to be a brother to you?"

She couldn't deny it. "No, I don't like it. But if it means that we could be close to each other then I could be fine with that."

He blinked back the tears from his eyes. He was growing utterly frustrated with his emotions for Haley. He couldn't take it anymore and the thought of leaving her behind was hard. His attraction to her grew to the point where he could hardly catch his breath when she was around. His feelings for this stubborn girl was so extreme and so powerful, he didn't even think it was real.

"I was doing fine before you came along and made me this way," he stated. "You knew how I felt when I was with Rachel. Can you imagine how it feels for me now with you living under the same roof as me? You're a woman, Haley. And I'm a guy. There's bound to be something going on and I'm not going to let that happen. Not with you," he finished, fighting away the pain that was nauseating him from within.

"Why?" she asked. "Is it because you love me?"

That stopped him short and stared at her. He was surprised to hear her say that, to know what she was thinking, but he denied it. Even if he knew it would hurt her, he was hurting too.

He let out a nervous laugh. "Why are you laughing?" she asked in a serious tone.

"Do you think this is easy for me?" he began. "I was only supposed to hire you as my assistant to protect Rachel's reputation."

"But?" she questioned, thinking that there was more.

"But nothing. There's nothing, except the fact that I've grown to dislike you," he stated. It was true that falling for someone like Haley made him dislike her for making him frustrated. It almost contradicted itself. "You drive me insane. Sometimes I wonder why I even let you in here. A poor girl living in a house with a rich man? Does that sound right to you? If that ever happened to anyone else, no one would let someone like you live in their house."

Haley bit her lip to push away the tears and rolled her fists in anger. His words hurt. She could finally see that Nathan was holding back his feelings based on who they were. And knowing that he was falling for someone like Haley annoyed him. She caused his pain, his confusion, his frustration.

"So please, try not to get too attached to me before I leave. I don't want any baggage when I go to Europe," he stated. "So let's not be anything at all. I want you to stay my employee while I remain being your boss until your rent is due. I think I can tolerate a few more weeks with you around. After that, you can leave."

She continued looking at him in agony, obviously hurt from his cold, cold words. And he couldn't bear to watch her like that any longer so he said, "Go inside, Haley. I have to go to work now."

She didn't move, so he grabbed her arm and dragged her back inside. After locking the door, he climbed back into his car and sped off, hating himself for being so cruel to her. He didn't want to like her, love her, or want her, but no matter how hard he tried to push away those overwhelming thoughts, he ended up liking her, wanting to love her, and needing her. He was being foolish. He didn't want to go through the same thing again like he did with Rachel. He didn't want to be vulnerable again.

Inside the house, Haley was quiet and shocked. All her work to become a good sister to him was useless. She cared for him, comforted him and made him laugh, but in return he was mean, blunt and he pushed her away. They couldn't even be brother and sister anymore. She was as confused and frustrated as he was. Just thinking of being away from him, missing him while he's at work, reliving their little arguments and quarrels, made her chest tighten. She could hardly breathe. All she wanted to do was to stay be his side, but that wasn't going to happen anymore.

She settled herself on the couch and sobbed into her hands, angry and sad at what just happened.

_Why did I fall for such an immature, stubborn, cruel, but sometimes sweet man? Is this punishment for running away all those years ago? Was this for lying and conniving people? What is this? How could I have fallen for someone who was going to leave the country anyways? Why must I feel this way?_

**

* * *

**

"You talked to her, right?" Rachel asked as they sat in the lobby of the hotel.

Nancy checked something off her agenda and nodded. "Yes, I gave her your number."

"Then why hasn't she called me yet?" Rachel questioned, staring at her phone, waiting for an unfamiliar number to appear. Then she turned to Nancy who was too busy looking over her agenda book. "Did you scare her off?"

"I just did what you told me to do, Rachel."

"You'd think she'd call the moment you gave her my number. It's not like she doesn't know who I am."

"Maybe she's not star struck by you," Nancy suggested.

Rachel pursed her lips together and sighed. She was getting angry and anxious about the new information she found out. Knowing that Haley was the paparazzi girl from a month ago made her feel uneasy. She saw her couple of times but she was always with her favorite cousins. And that made her curious.

While she continued thinking about the Haley situation, she found Nathan walking down the lobby. He looked upset and angry. Rachel remembered that Nathan told he took care of the situation, but he didn't explain how. So she quickly got up from the couch and walked over to Nathan.

"Nate!" she called out.

The elevators opened, but he turned around at the sound of his name. Behind him, he saw Rachel. Surprised, he didn't feel anything for at all. And he knew the reason why.

"Hey," he greeted her.

"Do you remember that day with the paparazzi girl?" she questioned.

He forgot about the elevator and turned to her, interested in her question. "Yea, why?"

"You never told me how you fixed it," she stated.

Nathan pictured Haley's adorable face in his head at the mention of it and blinked away from his thoughts. "I told you that you didn't have to worry about it, remember?"

"Yeah, but I'd like to know what you did," she begged.

"A month has passed, nothings been sent out. So it doesn't matter how I fixed it," Nathan stated curtly and turned back around to press the button on the elevator.

She smiled at the thought that he helped her out and hugged him from behind. Startled, he stood there watching as everyone around them began to stare. He forcefully pushed her away and said, "People are watching, Rachel."

Then the doors opened and he walked in, leaving her stunned before he disappeared into the elevator. She forgot that Nathan wanted to stay acquaintances. They weren't friends anymore. She thought that they'd slowly go back to normal, but Nathan was actually being serious about wanting to stay away from her. Knowing that, she felt a bit jealous of his on-going relationship with Haley. _Appearing at his house, the wedding, the hotel, it all seemed too suspicious to her. _

Back at Nathan's house, Haley was struggling to clean because her heart wasn't in it. She was depressed and hurt by the way Nathan yelled at her. It was the worst feeling she thought she could ever have. And she tried her best to stop moping around. She refused to act like Nathan when she first met him. She didn't want people to pity her because she liked someone who didn't want her back. It was selfish as she remembered.

She stopped wiping the glass windows and pulled out the card from her pocket that Nancy gave her in the park. Glancing at Rachel's number, she contemplated whether she should call her up or just leave it alone. Rachel obviously knew something was up and Haley really wanted to clear things out before she decided to search things out on her own.

So Haley grabbed her phone and dialed the number. She breathed in a few fresh breaths as the phone rang. As she waited, she finally heard Rachel's voice on the other line.

"Hello?"

"Is this Rachel?" Haley asked.

"Yes, who is this?"

"Haley. You said you wanted to talk me?"

Rachel jumped in her seat from excitement of the call and said, "Yes. Can you meet me somewhere?"

"Sure where?"

"The Regalien Hotel."

Haley swallowed the lump in her throat. Nathan was going to be there. He would be upset if he saw her when he told her to stay in the house. "Okay."

**

* * *

**

Haley finally made it to the hotel. She was so nervous to meet up with Rachel. She had no clue what they were going to talk about. And she was worried of what she was going to say if she asked any questions about her and Nathan.

While walking down the lobby to the restaurant where she remembered Nathan and Rachel entering, she could feel her legs tremble from the anxiety she was feeling. She adjusted the collar of her shirt to keep herself from choking and noticed Nancy – the woman from the park – standing outside.

"I'll lead you in," she stated.

Haley nodded and entered the restaurant filled with hotel guests and businessmen. She passed all of them and entered the private room in the back. And when she walked in, she noticed Rachel sitting at a table for two with food on her plate.

"You came," she stated.

Haley nodded and settled herself across from Rachel. "Do I have to order anything?"

"Do you want to order anything?" Rachel asked nicely as she took a sip from her glass of water.

"I don't think I can afford this," Haley answered, looking at Rachel's plate of food. Her mouth was watering at the sight of her meal.

"I'll pay for you," she offered.

"No thank you," Haley refused as she glanced at the basket of biscuits. "I'll just eat this," she stated, grabbing one from the stack.

"How about a drink?" Rachel asked, lifting the bottle of wine for Haley.

"No thanks."

"Are you sure?"

Haley shook her head. "So you wanted to talk to me?"

Rachel raised an eyebrow at Haley's lack of appetite and thirst. She began cutting her steak into pieces with her fork and knife and said, "Yea, I was just wondering how you knew Nathan and Jake. I've seen you a couple of times before with them. I'm just curious."

Haley chewed a piece of the biscuit and said, "We met about a month ago. They both helped me out with something."

"Those two are always helping people. What did they help you with?"

"Just some stuff," Haley answered.

"Don't be shy. You can tell me. We're all friends here."

"Um," Haley was hesitant to answer. She wasn't sure what she could and could not say. Her negotiation with Nathan was really private. The only person who knew about it was Jake, but it was because Haley and Nathan could trust him. And Haley hardly knew Rachel. Nathan rarely spoke of her loyalty and they weren't friends anymore, so it was possible that saying anything at all could be a bit messy.

Rachel could tell that Haley was contemplating how to answer that question and stopped eating.

"You look like a sweet girl, so I'm going to make this easy for you," Rachel stated. "I want to know exactly what you're doing with my best friends. If it has anything to do with money problems, I'll write a check for you. I just want you to leave them alone."

Haley looked at her strangely, aware of her low tone. "Huh?"

"I saw you that day with your camera," Rachel stated. Haley's eyes widened. Her throat became dry and her stomach began to ache. "You're that paparazzi girl, right?"

"Rachel, I didn't release any of those photos."

"But you still have them, right?"

"Yeah, but I promise I won't do anything with them."

"Then why were you taking them in the first place? It was for the money right?"

Haley felt shame fill her body and placed the biscuit down on her plate. "I did it at first, but –"

"But what?" Rachel cut in, annoyed.

"Nathan told me not to release them," she answered.

"Did he offer you money to hush you?" she questioned. "Because I don't think that's it, girl. You're still here hanging around Nathan and Jake like a leech."

"Excuse me?"

"You must've done something to make them want to be around you."

Haley could tell that this lunch was going to get chaotic so she stood up from the table and said, "I'm going to leave now."

"Wait," Rachel stated. "We haven't even finished eating."

"It was nice having lunch with you," Haley nodded and walked out of the restaurant, brushing past Nancy who was standing by the entrance.

Rachel stood up from her seat and followed her out to the lobby. Haley walked quickly towards the entrance and looked behind her only to find Rachel watching her leave. Then she looked a little further away and found Nathan walking with his head down apparently reading something from the black binder in his hands. And then she hurried away through the revolving doors.

"What happened?" Nancy asked, but Rachel didn't answer when she noticed Nathan glancing at her confused.

For a second, he thought he saw Haley walking through the doors, but he wasn't quite sure because he couldn't see her face. But when he noticed Rachel looking distressed, he grew curious.

**

* * *

**

Instead of taking the bus ride back home, Haley decided to walk. And she didn't care how long it was going to take her. So she walked and walked, thinking about Nathan the whole time. She thought about whether she should keep working for him and suffer with his coldness or just leave and go back to her father. She knew she wasn't going to find another job in time for the due date. She only had a couple of weeks left. Her decision was going to take a lot of thinking.

As she walked along the sidewalks of the city, she heard a few beeps from the street. Thinking it was because of traffic, she ignored it. And she continued to drag her feet across the concrete towards her destination. Again, the car beeped and she looked to her side and found a car park next to the curb. She grew confused until she saw the back seat window roll down revealing Jake.

"Hey," he greeted.

She looked at the shiny black vehicle and glanced at the driver up front. "Is that Roger?"

Jake chuckled, "Yep."

"You've been driving your own car all this time I never got the chance to meet him," she smiled. "Can I?"

Jake nodded as he watched her walk over to the driver's seat and knocked on the window. Roger rolled the window down and Haley smiled at the sight of the jolly man. He had a gray beard and mustache with small piercing eyes. He looked almost like a smaller version of Santa Clause.

"Hi, I'm Haley," she greeted, waving at him.

The man smiled, "So you must be the girl Jake keeps ranting about."

Haley lifted her eyebrow and turned to Jake who was looked away quickly. "I guess so. People tend to talk about me. But he's told me a lot about you, you're like a second father to him."

"Well, I've been driving him around for years."

"Must be a bother," she joked.

Roger chuckled. "I had to drive a couple of his strange ladies before, so it is a bother sometimes."

"Roger!" Jake called out.

"I see that we've pushed a button," Roger chuckled. Haley let out a laugh as well. "Would you like a ride, my dear?"

"Sure," she nodded and walked over to the side to sit in the back with Jake.

"I see you two bonded quickly," Jake stated as Haley settled herself in her seat.

"I like Roger already," she smiled.

"Why were you walking by yourself?"

"I was heading home. I didn't feel like using the bus. It's been quite a depressing day," she replied as she played with the ring on her left index finger. He could tell that something was wrong, probably from Rachel or Nathan, either or, it was bothering her.

"I think I know where to go," Jake stated.

"Where?" she questioned, looking up at him curiously.

"Roger, take us to the aquarium," he ordered.

"Yes sir," Roger replied.

**

* * *

**

In his office, Nathan couldn't quite concentrate on any of his documents and files. Nothing seemed to keep him focused at all. He's been beating himself up for yelling at Haley earlier. It wasn't supposed to end up that way, he just slipped. But he thought it would help push her away from him. Ignoring her was one thing, but completely scolding her was another. Both were clearly painful to her and he couldn't bear seeing her face again. He caused her too much pain.

He tried reading the comments from the guest book, but kept thinking about Haley's watery eyes when he told her that he didn't like her. He winced at the thought. When he went back to read the comments, Emily walked in saying his father was on the line. He said thank you and answered the call.

"Dad," he stated.

"Nate, I have some bad news."

"Bad news? How bad?"

"There's been a delay here so I'll have to stay another month."

"Do I still I have to go in a few weeks?" he questioned.

"See that's your choice to make. I think for your mother's sake, stay there for another month until I come back."

He thought about it and realized that he had another month in America, but Haley only had a few more weeks until she was done with her deal. She was going to return to her hometown and he wouldn't have to deal with her. After she leaves, living in the house alone would help him go back to his old routine. Then he could finally erase her from his life and go to Europe with a clean slate. Although the thought made him ache, he thought it was a positive way to help him.

"I'll stay, but we still have a deal. While I'm gone, you're staying here remember?"

"I won't break my promise, Nathan."

"Good," Nathan replied. "Because I'm going to be working my ass off for the family business. So when I get home, I'd like to come back to a happy family."

He heard his father chuckle on the line. "It's a deal."

**

* * *

**

Jimmy James sat on the wooden rocking chair on the porch of his beach house and watched as the ocean waves rippled against the wind. He hadn't left the state yet because he was contemplating whether to search for Haley or wait for her to arrive. But ever since his wife's memorial, he had been waiting for her come around and she never arrived.

He thought he'd find her here since she was the one who didn't want to leave this place. But seeing that it had been a few days since Brooke told him that she went out of town, she was clearly not around. He was growing suspicious and decided to stop waiting for his daughter to come. He climbed off the rocking chair and walked over to his car.

_Where could she be? If she wasn't here in Tree Hill then she must be somewhere else . . . somewhere close. . . somewhere she loves just as much as Tree Hill. _

On the road to Jimmy's beach house, Brooke and Lucas were having seconds thoughts about telling Jimmy about Haley's whereabouts. They talked about it for a while now, and decided that seeing Haley struggle was the last thing they wanted to see. Haley had an advantage, she had a wealthy father. And they didn't. They were struggling too since they had a family of their own, but they were working stable jobs. Haley wasn't. And the only way Haley could live a better life is if she asks for help from her father just once, just once.

When they finally reached the house, they noticed that Jimmy was about to climb into his car, but Lucas beeped at him to stop. Jimmy turned to their mini van that entered the driveway and shut his door. They parked right beside him and both climbed out with Marley in Brooke's arms.

"Brooke? Lucas? What are you two doing here?" he questioned, surprised to see a little girl that looked like both of them. It had been years since they've seen each other and seeing their little family made it feel like forever.

"We wanted to talk to you about something," Lucas stated.

Jimmy walked up to them and focused his attention to the little adorable girl in Brooke's arms. "When did this happen?" he asked.

"About seven months ago," Brooke answered, rocking Marley side to side. Jimmy glanced at Brooke's left ring finger then Lucas's.

"And when did you two get married?"

"Um, four years ago," Brooke answered, clearly seeing the sadness in Jimmy's eyes. "We would've invited you to the wedding, but we didn't think Haley would be happy with that."

Jimmy sighed at the thought of Haley. "When I realized that she wanted me out of her life, I didn't think it included her friend's too."

"We're deeply sorry," Brooke stated. "I hope you're not mad at us."

Jimmy continued to pet the head of their beautiful daughter and shook his head. "Why would I be mad? I should be happy for you two. I always thought you two belonged to each other."

They both smiled, pleased by his words. And Lucas said, "We wanted to talk to you about Haley."

"Is she in trouble?" he questioned, growing concerned.

"A little bit," Brooke answered.

Jimmy suddenly grew curious and said, "Okay, okay. Well come inside for some iced tea and we'll talk."

As they all entered inside the familiar beach house they spent many summers ago when they were younger, Jimmy went to the kitchen to grab the pitcher of iced tea. They settled themselves on the couches in the living room and waited for Jimmy to return with their drinks.

Placing the tray of drinks onto the table, Jimmy said, "So where is she?"

Brooke grabbed a glass and took a sip. "Well, you know how Haley has her own apartment, right?" Jimmy nodded. "She quit her job at that cheap photography studio down town and couldn't pay for her rent in time."

"How much is the rent?" he questioned.

"About $2,000," Lucas answered.

Jimmy's eyes widened at the amount of money. It may not seem like a lot to a wealthy man, but for his daughter, that was a ton of money. "That's too much for one month of rent."

"See, Haley begged her landlord to give her more time to pay, so he gave her two months but tripled her rent. And now she's in Charlotte, working her ass off to pay it all by the end of this month."

"What is she doing in Charlotte?" he asked, confused.

"She drove for hours on little gas and ended up trapped in the city," Lucas answered.

"So she's in Charlotte right now?"

"Yes," Brooke nodded. "Please don't get mad at her or feel ashamed of her."

He chuckled nervously, relieved to know that Haley was doing fine. "Why would I be ashamed of my own daughter?"

"She was afraid that you'd think she was a failure if you ever found out."

"I'm not going to do that. She made it on her own for several years now without any of my help. People meet a crossroads at some point in their lives. I'm just glad that she's okay," he stated. "Do you know exactly where she is?"

Brooke and Lucas looked at each other with hope to find an answer in their facial expression. Brooke pursed her lips and moved it side to side to mean "no". They didn't want to release too much information.

"All we know is that she's in Charlotte working," Lucas answered.

**

* * *

**

The aquarium was so beautiful and quiet. The only light in the place was the ones that reflected from inside the fish tanks. So it was blue every where. Haley thought it was just a bigger version of the one in Nathan's room. She couldn't stop mesmerizing over it.

Jake gazed at the fish tank but stopped to glance at Haley. He wanted to see how she was doing. She seemed really upset. He wanted to cheer her up like she did to him many times before without even realizing it.

"You know Nathan and I used to go here all the time to relax," he stated, turning back to the waters.

The mention of his name made her interested which caused her to smile a little bit. "Really?"

"Well for Nathan at least. Usually on a bad day his mom would bring him here. My mom would force me to tag along. But I wouldn't find anything interesting about the place. I was too focused on other things."

"Girls," she smirked.

Jake rolled his eyes at the thought of it. "I was young then."

"Really, Jake. You think I don't know you already," she looked at jokingly. "You . . . are . . . a . . . playa," she said slowly with a little accent on _player_.

He chuckled at her little antic and shook his head. "I'm trying not to be," he said, returning to the tank. "I actually found someone I'd like to be with."'

"Who could this special lady be? I'd like to meet her," Haley stated, zoning on one single fish that reminded her of Nathan's.

"I think you'd like her," Jake stated. "She has a very infectious personality. She knows how to make people smile and feel good about them selves. She knows what she wants. And she's beautiful."

"She sounds annoying," she mumbled, oblivious to whom he was describing. Jake chuckled a bit and continued observing her. She came closer to the glass and started tapping on it lightly to catch the black and white fish's attention. "Hey there," she whispered. "I have your cousin at my house. I named him after my boss. He's cruel and demanding, but he knows how to take care of others. So your cousin's doing fine. He's in good hands."

Jake furrowed his eyes at her little conversation with the fish. He didn't think it was weird at all. He thought it was cute, but it seemed like she was sad at the mention of Nathan. He must've done something to cause her pain.

"You never told me what happened today," Jake stated.

Haley slowly stepped away from the tank and focused her attention to something else before she could answer him. "Oh, yeah well," she sighed. "Everything I've done here so far is kicking me back in the ass."

Jake didn't say anything in response. He could tell that she wasn't done yet, so he waited for to continue.

"Nathan wanted me to be his sister," she let out a nervous laugh. "And I went through with it. I acted like a sister to him. I comforted him, I cheered him up, I annoyed him," she smiled. "But I guess that was just too much for him to tolerate. He told me that he grew to dislike me this morning and that it was hard living under the same roof as me. I don't know what I did wrong, but I guess I've become a burden to him."

"You're not a burden, Haley."

"Well I'm obviously one to Nathan," she responded quickly. "We're back to where we used to be. Hating and ignoring each other." Her chest began to tighten again like it did earlier today. She tried to fight the tears. She wasn't going to cry again. Too much tears have been shed since she's been there. She wasn't a cry baby. "But I don't hate him. While he's grown to hate me, I've grown to . . . _like him_."

Stunned by her words, Jake asked, "You like him?"

She didn't move. Her eyes were glued to the fish tank. "Silly huh?" she laughed nervously. "I like a man who frustrates me from morning to night. All I want to do is tear my hair out when he's around. But I like him. It's so silly."

It hurt Jake a little bit to know that Haley had finally confessed to him that she liked another man. He figured she did though. Even if Jake treated her well and hoped to one day make her like him, she was happier when she was with Nathan.

"It's not silly," Jake stated, stepping closer to her and wrapped an arm around her. "The heart wants what it wants."

"Such a foolish heart," she whispered.

**

* * *

**

Later that day, Nathan came home exhausted from a long day at work. There were more guests today than there were last month. But it was successful except the fact that he was focused on Haley most of the time. He was nervous about coming back home because of how he handled this morning. He didn't like seeing her hurt like that especially when he was the blame.

He opened the door, expecting to see Haley cleaning the floor or wiping the counters, but there was no sight of her. He shut the door behind him and walked into the kitchen to see if she was there, nothing. He looked in bathroom, nothing. Then he looked outside and she wasn't there. He panicked at her absence and hurried over to her bed room to see if her things were still there. Opening her door, he noticed that she still had everything sprawled out on the floor and her bed was unmade.

"She cleans the house all day, but she doesn't clean her own room," he complained. He sighed, still confused to see her gone and walked out of her bedroom. He climbed up the stairs to his room and pulled out his phone as he stood at the side of his bed. He thought about calling her to see where she was, but that would be interfering with her business, so he didn't call. But the whole time he was changing into his house clothes, he kept glancing at the phone to see if she left a voicemail or sent him a text message. Still nothing.

Haley's never been out this late before or even out at night. It was always Nathan who came home late. He didn't like waiting for her. He didn't want to wait for her, but he wanted to make sure she came back home. So in order to distract himself, Nathan attempted to cook some pancakes. He didn't know the exact recipe, but he tried his best to make it similar to Haley's as possible.

He grabbed the milk, flour, eggs, and other condiments he might need. And he poured, mixed, stirred and heated up the pan with butter. Then he poured a little bit of batter into the pan and flipped it. He continued this a few more times until he burnt the last piece.

"AH!" he cried out. He quickly removed the pan from the stove and dropped it into the sink. He turned the faucet on and a poof of smoke was created from the pan. He quit making pancakes after that and decided to taste his own creation.

He set up his own plate on the table. A stack of Nathan-made pancakes smothered with butter and syrup. It looked nice, but he wasn't quite sure how it tasted. He was scared.

He cut a piece off with his fork and bit it off. He began chewing it, impressed with his own cooking, but stopped when he heard a crunch. He gagged and spit it out.

"Egg shell?" he questioned and shook his head. "I'm done. I'm done!" he stated, leaving his mess in the kitchen and returned to his room.

It had been about few hours and she wasn't home yet. Nathan couldn't go to sleep at all. He would try to read a book, but he would focus at the clock to check on the time. _Eleven o' clock_. _She's still not home? _He was worried about her whereabouts. After knowing that Haley had a habit of running away, he was scared that she must've done exactly that. She probably ran away.

"Would she? Would she have run away? Her clothes are still here," he wondered as he lay in bed. "But seeing that she made it here in Charlotte without clothes, she could be sleeping in a car somewhere." He groaned.

So instead of lying around, he grabbed the bouncy ball from his shelf and started bouncing it around, acting like he was playing a basketball game. He even made himself a goal out of a laundry basket. It kind of helped him distract himself from Haley.

As soon as he was about to shoot, he heard the door wiggle. His eyes widened and he looked out the window. He noticed a familiar car and hurried back into bed so it appeared like he was sound asleep.

Once the door slowly opened, he heard Haley's voice.

"Thank you for cheering me up, Jake," she stated. Quickly, Nathan lifted his head up at the name and peeked from his balcony.

"No problem," Jake stated. "Any time you need a friend, I'm here."

Nathan rolled his eyes at that and continued to observe them.

"Tell Roger, I'll see him later," Haley stated and stepped forward for an embrace from Jake. "Thanks again."

"Call me later."

"I will, bye," she smiled and waited for him to walk back to the car. As he disappeared into the car, she turned around and closed the door behind her. She felt like she was being watched and glanced up at Nathan's balcony. She expected to see him look at her, but she found him sleeping instead. It was like he stopped caring about her over all. _At least you can sleep because I don't think I can._

She sighed and walked closer to the kitchen. She smelt a burned scent and quickly entered the kitchen to see where it was coming from. It was a mess. There was flour sprinkled all over the counter. Egg shells were cracked and placed in one corner. And she walked closer to the sink and found a pan with a burnt piece of pancake inside.

"What the hell?" she questioned, curious as to what just happened. She scratched the back of her neck in confusion and noticed the plate of pancakes on the breakfast table. She tilted her head at the sight of it. She wasn't sure if she should taste it. Knowing that Nathan made it himself, she was a little afraid. So she resisted and decided to throw it away instead.

From above, Nathan looked up and watched as Haley cleaned his mess. It wasn't like him to leave things untidy like that, but he was acting weird lately. He wasn't quite himself.

She looked lifeless as she cleaned the kitchen. He continued to observe her actions, her mannerisms, and her facial expressions. It was so dull and limp, like she just didn't care. She was obviously upset and hurt. And all he wanted to do was go back downstairs and apologize for everything. But he wasn't going to do that. In order to stop his feelings, he had to stop caring.

**

* * *

**

Returning back into her room after cleaning up the kitchen, she flopped back on her bed and decided to give her best friends a call. Brooke and Lucas would usually help cheer her up. Although Jake did his work at making her feel comforted and happy, she needed a familiar voice to ease her pain.

So she pulled out her phone and called Brookie Cookie.

"Brooke," Haley greeted once she heard her voice. "I wish you were here right now."

"Aw, babe, what's wrong?"

"It's getting harder and harder living in this house," Haley stated, rolling to her side.

"He touched you, didn't he?"

Haley groaned. "No," she closed her eyes and bit her lip. "I like him."

"You what?" Brooke exclaimed. "I think I'm hearing things. I thought you hated him."

"I don't know why I do, I just do."

"That's fantastic!"

"No it's not fantastic, Brooke. He doesn't even like me that way. And besides, I'm coming home in a few weeks and he's leaving too," she stated.

"So does that mean you've gained enough money for your rent?" Brooke asked nervously. She was in her bed room when Haley called. Lucas was sitting right next to her on the bed and gave him a worried look.

"I will by then, just enough to pay for my rent," she stated.

"Oh," she replied.

Haley could hear the distance in her town. Brooke wasn't saying much which began to worry Haley.

"What's wrong? You sound weird."

"Oh nothing, nothing. Lucas is just making me mad," Brooke lied.

"He's always making you mad," Haley replied and remembered something that Jake mentioned before. "'Oh!"

"Huh?"

"Speaking of mad, I'm mad at you!"

Brooke grew confused at the sound of her best friend's voice. Lucas noticed the expression on his wife's face and grew interested in the conversation.

"Why are you mad at me?"

"Because my friend Jake overheard you talking about me in the hotel," Haley answered. "Now he knows about my background. This was the reason why I didn't want you over there."

"At least you don't have to hide it anymore."

"I still have to. I don't want Nathan to know about it."

"Would it hurt to just tell him?"

"Yes," Haley retorted. "Brooke. I like him and at the same I'm lying to him. He thinks I am poor. But I'm not. I don't want him to hate me."

Brooke swallowed the guilty lump in her throat. She felt like she made a big mistake today. Now that she learned that Haley didn't want anything revealed about her to her boss, she knew she was screwed.

"Good thing I'm leaving in a few weeks. I don't have to suffer anymore," Haley sighed.

"Yeah," Brooke replied nervously. "Um, it's really late, Hales. I have to go to bed."

"I'm still mad at you, but okay," she joked. "Good night."

"Night," Brooke quickly hung up the phone and turned to Lucas. "She's going to kill us."

"We didn't tell him where she was working, so it might take a while before he finds her."

"She just told me that she didn't want her boss knowing the truth about her financial background," Brooke pouted. "And she likes him."

"She what? She likes him!" Lucas exclaimed.

"She's been living under the same roof as him for a month and a half, it was bound to happen. And now we're screwed. Cause her father's going to find her, Nathan's going to find out that she lied to him about being poor, and he'll hate her."

"Stop over analyzing this," Lucas stated.

"It's going to happen, Lucas. I know it." She groaned. She suddenly felt nauseating by her worries and slid under the sheets.

* * *

**Readers, whadya think? You like? Keep me inspired!**


	12. Lie 12

**A/N:** First of all _**HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY AMERICANS!**_ I live in America but I don't really celebrate it much since my family's from the Philippines but anyways haha. . . Oh my wonderful wonderful readers. I haven't abandoned you yet. If you were waiting for this update all day, I'm sorry. But I had to perfect it, well almost, before updating it. I might have some small grammar/spelling errors, because I probably overlooked it when I was reading it over and over again. lol. I guess I grew tired of proof reading it haha. But hmm, what can I tell you about this chapter. I'm not going to say anything because I don't want to spoil you before you read it. So I'll just make you read it haha. Anyways, I'd like to thank you all for your wonderful-tastic reviews. And to welcome back earlier readers who haven't gotten the chance to review, like you, **dangladesh** - I totally forgive you for not reviewing in the past. Your review made up for it. It really did and I can see why you can't see Jake from the show as Jake in my story. It's a shame to see that Jake and Haley didn't get interact as much on the show. I wish they did though. They had a lot of similarities. Grr. But I'm so glad to hear what you had to say about the story. And plus, I will NOT complain if you did leave me a review for every chapter. I think I'd just love you a million times more. :) **Maria** - You know I love your novel-like reviews. They give me goose bumps! **Katie** - girl. I just love yaa. And to all my other** readers **out there, I know that you can tell that Nathan is being such a rude and obnoxious jerk right now, but soon enough things will change. All your questions will be answered in the upcoming chapters, the suspense will finally wipe away and things will . . . . well I can't tell you what's going to happen because then I'll spoil ya!

You know I love you! You all give me so much inspiration and motivation. I'm just so happy many of you love this story. I wasn't really sure how it was going to turn out, but I'm very blessed to see that it worked out well. I'm very happy!

I hope you enjoy this chapter.

**Annie**

* * *

**Chapter 12 "Lie 12"**

One night, Nathan couldn't sleep so he decided to sit in the living room with a glass of wine again. Haley was sleeping soundly in her room. They hadn't spoken to each other in two days. It was hard to avoid someone you were starting to love when they were living in the same house as you. He knew that it wasn't going to work that way. Sooner or later they were going to speak to each other. His words from the other day were undoubtedly hurtful. And he knew that. He just couldn't stand falling for someone else again. He didn't want to like anyone. He wanted to have a clear plate, but obviously after pushing Rachel away, someone else had to take her place.

Taking a sip from his glass, he turned to the hallway where Haley's room was. He wondered if she was okay. She probably wasn't since she hadn't been acting her cheerful self lately. It was his fault though. He was being selfish with his feelings and didn't think about hers. He sighed and went into the kitchen to put it away. When he came back from kitchen, he paused at the hallway. He contemplated whether to check on her or not, but his feet made the decision for him and he found himself walking down the hallway to her room.

Her door wasn't a squeaky one, but Nathan made sure he was quiet when he slowly opened it. As he did that, he took a quick peek at Haley's slumbering frame. The comforter wasn't completely covering her body. It was pretty cold in the house and he figured that she must've been freezing. So Nathan walked all the way in and pulled the covers up for her. After placing the sheet over her shoulders, he smoothed her hair away from her face and softly caressed her cheek with the back of her hand. Then he quickly parted and walked out of her room.

His heart was practically pounding in his chest and wondered if he should stop this charade. He didn't think he could make it. But he shook those thoughts away and returned to his room, hoping for a brand new day and future ahead of him.

The very next day, all that Nathan and Haley could do was exchange longing looks. They could tell that they wanted to break down the wall that was placed right in between them. Although one of them was trying their hardest to push their feelings away, the other one was begging to stay by their side.

Haley was washing up the dishes from cooking breakfast when she glanced at Nathan at the breakfast table. He was wearing a different type of shirt today. It was a black button up, collared shirt with breast pockets. It wasn't his usual business suit today. She looked away from observing his back side when he turned around with his empty plate. He hesitantly walked over to her with his dirty dish and decided to wash it himself.

Haley grew nervous by the proximity of their bodies and continued washing on her side of the sink. He grabbed the extra sponge and soap and began scrubbing his plate. Then he reached over to grab the water sprayer attachment and accidentally brushed her arm with his in the process. Both felt a sudden chill in their spine and kept cleaning their dishes. Then Nathan reached into the water filled sink to grab the fork he had dropped inside and felt something else. It was soft and smooth. Then he stopped rubbing it as soon as he knew what it was. They both glanced at each other, aware of their physical contact, and slowly pulled their hands away from the sink.

Then soon enough, Haley's phone began to ring so she wiped her hands on a rag and answered it.

"Hello?"

"Hey Haley, it's Jake."

"Oh, hey Jake," she greeted as she placed the rag over her shoulder. Nathan snapped his head up at the mention of his cousin's name. He slowly observed her as she started walking out of the kitchen and into the living room.

"I know it's kind of early, but my grandma invited me over for lunch and I didn't want to go by myself. So I thought of you. You like lunch right?"

Haley smiled at the thought of food, especially with a grandmother as a cook. Elder's foods were always delicious.

"Don't you know me already? Of course! What time?"

"I'll pick you up around ten thirty, is that okay?"

"Ten thirty is fine," she stated.

Nathan continued listening as he wiped his plate dry with a paper towel and placed it back to his rightful placed. After doing that, he glanced back at Haley who was still on the phone and noticed her grin. Obviously Jake said something to cause her happiness. And to keep her away from the phone, he started clearing his throat loudly.

"Hey!" Nathan called out.

Startling Haley, she moved her eyes over to Nathan who was leaning over the sink. She was curious to see what he wanted.

"Get off the phone and clean the rest of the dishes," he ordered.

She rolled her eyes and went back to her conversation with Jake. "I'm sorry. My boss is being an ignorant, selfish, bastard right now," she emphasized loudly so that Nathan could hear it.

Nathan huffed out an angry breath and glared at her.

Jake chuckled on the other line. "Okay, but before I go. I just wanted to tell you that things will get better. Eventually this short tempered version of Nathan will get over it. That's how he is."

She looked over at Nathan who was placing more and more dirty dishes into the sink. He didn't look so mean standing there helping out with the dishes. But the things that he said were very hurtful. He was a very fickle man. First he was acting nice to her, telling her that he would protect her, and the next minute he's ignoring her and spitting out hateful words to her. She had no clue what was going on. All she knew was that she was deceiving him and he was ignoring her. She had fully accepted her feelings for Nathan, but it seemed as though Nathan had already made his decision. He didn't like her that way nor did he even like her enough to be his sister or friend. And that confused Haley.

"Thanks, Jake," she whispered and said their goodbyes. As they did, Haley returned to the kitchen to finish doing her chores.

Nathan still stood there, hesitant to ask what Jake wanted. Although he was the one who wanted to stay in a strictly business relationship, he wanted to know what she'd been doing and who she'd been doing it with. He couldn't quite hold it in anymore.

"What did he want?" Nathan asked slowly.

She didn't respond as she roughly turned on the faucet to clean the plates. "Why are you asking, boss?" she emphasized.

"Because –"' he began. "He's my cousin and I just want to know."

"I feel like you should stick with your words," Haley stated, scrubbing syrup off a plate.

"Huh?"

"You say one thing to me, calling me a sister, but you don't do it. Then you want to remain co-workers, but you don't follow through with it," she explained without looking him in the eye. "So why don't you just make a decision already. And stop confusing me. I'm getting annoyed and frustrated by it. Pick one and then I'll be fine."

"Haley," he stated by she cut him off.

"Stop it," her lip began to quiver but she fought it away. "We're nothing, remember? So let's keep it that way. Just like you wanted." She finished cleaning the dishes and placed them on the rack to dry. "You have work. Now go," she ordered.

He couldn't say anything else and brushed past her. She watched him leave and shut the door behind him. And she placed her hand over her eyes to keep the tears from coming out. It still hurt her to be this way with him. She never thought she could ever be this vulnerable over a man. He was the only man who had ever shaken her. He was the only man who made her heart pound every time he was near. And to have him so distant was excruciating.

_Don't cry, Haley. Don't cry._

_**

* * *

**_

After a long drive, Jimmy finally made it to Charlotte. Brooke and Lucas didn't give him enough details to know where Haley was in the city or where she was working. So he had to find out on his own. He drove past the first photography studio he could find in the city, and walked in, hoping to see Haley at the front desk or moving things around.

"Hi," he greeted. The woman at the front desk looked up from writing down something on a large notebook and smiled at the man before her.

"May I help you?"

He nodded. "Yes, I was looking for someone. Do you happen to have an employee with the name Haley around?"

"Yeah," she nodded. "Do you want me to get her for you?"

Jimmy lit up as soon as he heard that that Haley was here and nodded his head. The woman stood up from her desk and entered the main studio in the back. He waited patiently for her to return with someone with a familiar face, but when the lady returned, she brought someone who didn't look anything like Haley.

She had long black hair with red highlights and a pair of solid black framed glasses. That wasn't the Haley he knew.

"Do I know you?" the girl asked.

"Sorry," he replied. "I was looking for another Haley."

"I'm the only Haley who works here," the girl stated. She squinted her eyes at him to observe his physical features and then widened them. "Aren't you that fashion photographer from New York, Jimmy James?"

He smiled nervously, "Yes."

"I love your work!"

"Thanks," he replied. "I'm sorry I bothered you. You must've been working, so I'll just lead myself out." He turned around to leave. "It was nice meeting you ladies. I hope you find success with your talents."

"Thank you," they said and he left.

He thought that he had finally found her, but it was his first location to look at. He had to be realistic here. He wasn't going to find her the minute he came into town. So he climbed back into his car and continued to the next possible destination that Haley would work in. Studios, restaurants, ice cream parlors, amusement park. He was going to go to every place she could be until he found her.

**

* * *

**

Jake picked Haley up from her house at ten thirty exactly. She was dressed in something nice and appropriate for a lunch date with his grandmother. It was also Nathan's grandmother as well so she needed to show her how good of a person she was. Haley felt kind of guilty for swindling Nathan into giving her a job. She always wondered what his grandmother and mother would think of that if she ever found out about their negotiation.

"My grandmother says she's really fond of you," Jake stated as they stepped onto the porch of the house.

"Really?" Haley asked, delightfully.

"Yeah," he grinned. "She told me that you came to visit her at the hospital after her heart attack. And she really wanted to see you again."

Haley blushed. It was a good feeling to hear that someone actually liked her and wanted to see more of her. Unlike Nathan's wish washy decisions, she was glad a part of his family liked her.

Once they knocked on the door, it swung open, revealing a familiar woman in fancy clothing. Haley tilted her head at the sight and looked at her surprised. Then she turned to Jake who was softly smiling at her.

"You came!" Deb greeted. "Come on in," she stated as they both walked into the house.

Haley was confused. As they walked into the house, she found pictures and photos all over the walls. It didn't look like Jake at all. There were photos that went from the day of his birth to his teenage years. Some had Jake in them, but the majority of it was Nathan.

"Grandma is waiting in the dining table. Our meal is almost done, so go sit down until it's ready," Deb stated as she walked past them in the foyer and headed to the kitchen.

Once she disappeared from the area, Haley turned to Jake. "I thought this was your grandmother's house," she stated.

"It is."

"But why is Nathan's mother here? And why are there so many pictures of him on the wall?" she asked, curiously.

"This is his parents' house. Our grandmother lives with them," he stated.

Her eyes widened and she suddenly grew nervous. "Is he coming here? If he is, I'm leaving right now." She started walking to the door, but Jake pulled her back. He chuckled at her nervousness and placed back in front of him.

"No, he's not. He's too busy at work to come by."

Haley let out a sigh of relief at that information and glanced back at the wall behind her. The first one was of Nathan in his high school days holding a basketball under one arm while he stood on a basketball court. _He still looked handsome back then._

"Come on, you two!" Deb called out.

"Lunch is ready,"' Jake stated as he grabbed a hold of her hand and led her to the dining area.

Sitting there at the end of the table was the charming, old woman Haley grew very fond of. She looked healthier than before, but a little thinner. It was nice to finally see the color back in her skin. Even if she was old, their grandmother was fairly beautiful. .

Haley waved lightly at her causing the old woman to smile. Grandma patted the seat next to her and told Haley to sit there. Haley couldn't refuse the offer so she settled herself in the chair diagonal from the sweet woman.

"You look better," Haley stated as Jake sat right next to her.

"If it weren't for your delicious chicken noodle soup, I think I'd still be lying on that bed. So I want to thank you for coming in that day," Grandma replied as she placed a hand on Haley's shoulder.

"You're welcome. I always visit a friend when they're sick."

"I'm your friend?" Grandma asked curiously.

"Of course. How could I not be?" Jake smiled at his grandmother's pleased reaction and then glanced over at Haley who seemed a bit happier than before. In the middle of observing them, Deb finally entered through the door holding a tray of food with a maid behind her.

"Here's our lunch. It's baked salmon with a side of green beans and Asian rice," Deb stated as she placed the food on the middle of the table for all of them to see.

The minute she removed the cover of the fish, Haley's mouth began to water. She hadn't eaten a good meal in a while because she lost her appetite. But the sight of their lunch revived it.

"This looks so good," Haley stated, eying the food.

Deb and Grandma laughed at her statement. "Try not to eat it all. We have three other mouths to feed," Grandma stated.

Haley suddenly grew embarrassed and leaned back into her chair. "Sorry about eating your food at the wedding. I'm just a big eater."

"We saw," Deb joked. "But we have another one in the fridge, so we can always cook that if you're still hungry." Haley gave her a nervous smile and nodded her head. "Let's eat!"

**

* * *

**

"Rumors are still being written about Rachel and her hotel beau, Nathan," Emily stated as they walked together around the hotel

"Like what?" he asked.

Emily glanced at the magazine and scanned the latest gossip. "It states: _Rachel Gatina's movie ended a couple of weeks ago, but she still remains at the hotel. Paparazzi are still gathering around the property, trying to catch glimpses of any male figure, but nothing in sight. We're beginning to wonder if this rumor is faux real. Or is Miss Gatina, America's hottest starlet, trying to keep it to herself?"_ Emily finished reading the article and held it to her side. She glanced up, to see Nathan's reaction but he wasn't really paying attention.

"It seems like the rumors are slowly fading away," he mumbled as he glanced over at the flower booth where he bought Haley's flowers for her mother's memorial. He sighed and glanced at Emily. "Maybe things will finally work out as planned then."

"Yeah, your father won't have to worry about people prying into your family's personal life."

"Exactly," he stated. "My life is already complicated as it is. I'd rather not add strangers into it."

Emily nodded as they continued walking around the hotel while he checked on how smoothly the hotel was running. The guests looked pampered and cared for. They entered and left with pleasing attitudes. And the workers weren't complaining that much.

But as they continued walking, Emily remembered Haley, the cute girl who used to visit Nathan at his office now and then. She wondered where she went.

"Is your negotiation with Haley working out?" she asked. Nathan told her about it right when it happened, but she never mentioned it again. She didn't think it was something Nathan would be too proud to talk about. She remembered how it was the only way to keep people from knowing or thinking that something was going on between him and Rachel. But it seemed like Nathan could care less about Rachel now. And she noticed how up and down Nathan's been lately. Now that Haley no longer appeared around the hotel, she figured something must've happened between them.

"Um," he began. "It's working out well," he answered. _Everything except my relationship with her. _"She hasn't put the pictures up yet, so . . . "

"Yeah," she agreed. "You negotiation with her isn't that bad. You get to go home to a clean house. You got two things in return," Emily stated.

"I'm just giving her what she wanted. A job and a place to live," he mumbled before they both turned the corner towards the elevator.

As soon as they disappeared into the elevator, Nancy stepped out from the wall she was hiding behind and scratched the back of her head. She was stunned by the information she just heard. It was interesting to hear that Nathan made a deal with the paparazzi girl.

"He's letting her clean his house and live in it as well?" she questioned as she stared longingly at the elevator. "Unbelievable. I have to tell Rachel."

**

* * *

**

Haley finished licking the rest of the peach cobbler from her spoon and dropped it into her bowl. Everyone on the table looked at her as if she was some sort of creature from another planet. They still weren't used to her eating habits. But it still made them laugh.

"I did it again, didn't I?" Haley questioned, noticing their strange grins.

"It's okay. Now I know that you like my peach cobbler," Grandma stated with a giggle. "I should invite you over more often. I'll actually have someone who will eat everything I bake."

Haley let out a small laugh. "It's just a habit."

"I call it a miracle," Deb stated. "You have an incredibly large appetite, yet you still stay small. I envy you." They both exchanged smiles until Deb stood up from her chair with her plate in hand. "Anyways, it's time for dishes."

"I'll help!" Haley offered.

"Sit down, child," Grandma ordered gently. "You're a guest in this house. Guests don't do chores."

Haley nodded. She was so used to getting up after a meal to do the dishes. It kind of made her paranoid or lazy if she didn't do it. She grew so used to cleaning after Nathan that it almost seemed second nature to her. But sitting at the table after a meal, with plates being picked up by someone else was kind of nice. It was relaxing and refreshing. Kind of like the life she used to have. But it had been so long since a maid cleaned after her.

"I've always wondered this," Grandma stated. "Are you and Nathan crushing on Miss Haley, here?" she asked, looking directly at Jake.

Both of them sat there awkwardly, surprised by her question. Haley grabbed her glass of water and drank from it to distract herself. Jake glanced at her and let out a chuckle.

"I don't know about Nathan, but I'd like to say I am," Jake answered.

When Haley heard him say that, she choked on her water and started coughing. She put the glass down and grabbed a napkin to wipe the water from her mouth.

"Hey are you okay?" Jake asked, patting her back.

She dabbed the napkin around her lips and nodded. "Yeah, I'm fine."

His grandmother watched Haley's reaction and couldn't help but giggle. "Are you surprised?"

"Um," Haley stated, patting her chest to help clear her throat.

"It's okay, you don't have to answer that," Grandma replied.

"I already know," Jake stated. Both women looked at him curiously. "Although her heart doesn't belong to me, I'm willing to remain by her side," he stated. "If she let's me."

She glanced at him and noticed the want and hope in his eyes. She was ashamed of her own feelings for Nathan. If she had a choice to fall for any of the two cousins, it would've been an easy answer. The answer would've been Jake. He was always sweet and kind to her. He didn't hold back his feelings and he always had a shoulder available for her to lean on. But she couldn't choose. If people were allowed to choose who they fell in love with, life would be easier. And it was a shame to know that she couldn't return the favor for him. Jake was charming, but he wasn't the guy that made her heart pound or knees weak when he around. _She just had to fall for the other guy_.

"Of course," Haley whispered.

**

* * *

**

"He's what!" Rachel exclaimed, walking out of the bathroom.

"That's exactly what I heard him say," Nancy stated as she sat in the living room area of the suite. "He said he gave her a job and place to stay to keep her from posting the pictures."

Rachel's jaw tightened and grew angry at the thought of Haley living under the same roof as Nathan. No wonder she saw her at Nathan's house that night. It all made sense now.

"So that woman practically blackmailed Nathan into giving her money so that she'll stay quiet?"

"Basically," Nancy replied.

"That tramp!" Rachel exclaimed. "I offered her money to stop seeing him, but she just walked away. How long has this been going on?" she questioned.

"Probably since the day she took the pictures."

Rachel's eyes widened at the amount time that had past. It had been a month and a half. That was a long time. Something must've happened between them in the past months. She remembered seeing them at the wedding, watching him leave her side to follow Haley out. She remembered that day when Haley came in with food in a lunch bag. _Nathan's smile and Haley's laugh_. They were joking with each other like playful friends or even more. It almost seemed like they liked each other. But realizing that Haley was living under the same roof as Nathan made her angry.

"Do yous think she's the reason why Nathan shut me out of his life?" Rachel questioned.

"I don't know," Nancy replied, noticing the frustration in Rachel's expression. "Are you going to talk to him about it?"

"Of course, I will," she snapped. "And I'm going to tell that girl to stop doing this to Nathan so he doesn't have to have an obligation to keep her around because she's forcing him to."

"How are you going to do that?"

"I'm going to call her up and talk to her again. I'll offer her double the money he's giving her," Rachel replied.

**

* * *

**

It was yet another night of Nathan waiting for Haley to come home. It had been like that for the last couple of days since he told her that he disliked her. And it kind of made him annoyed and jealous that she was spending a lot of time with Jake. Although he was a nice guy and his cousin, he was still a player. And he remembered telling Haley that he would protect her from guys like that, but that was when they were supposedly "brother and sister". But that promise didn't exist anymore. They were nothing now.

Jake and Haley left the grandmother's house to walk around for a while. They just spent the rest of the day together, talking about Nathan and photography and architecture. Just like a couple of friends would do. It was nothing romantic, at least not from Haley's side. Jake, well, he was still hoping that one day she'd want him back. But like he told her and his grandmother, he was willing to stay be her side as a friend if she'd let him.

Haley smiled at the sight of a lady selling some cute trinkets and necklaces in front of a boutique that was currently under construction. She skipped over to the booth where the rest of the other customers were browsing and glanced at the sea shell necklaces hanging from the hooks. Jake followed her and smiled at the sight of her happiness.

Holding the necklace in her palm, she immediately thought of Nathan. He liked the waters just as much as she liked the beach. And she thought that even if he didn't like her, she wanted something that would remind her of him before she left. So she took it and paid for the necklace.

"Who's that for?" Jake asked.

"A friend," she answered.

Jake nodded and looked over at the table of objects. He held a cap in his hand and placed it over Haley's head. She looked at him confused and wondered what he was doing.

"Do I look silly?" she questioned trying to see what the hat looked like.

Jake chuckle and straightened her hair on the sides. She was too busy blowing her hair out of the way to realize the way he was looking at her. He kept his hands against her head and slowly leaned in to kiss her. Haley was surprised by the touch of their lips and pushed him away.

"What are you doing?" she asked, holding her fingers to her mouth.

Jake suddenly grew nervous and said, "I'm sorry. I didn't – I wasn't thinking."

Haley removed the cap from her head and shook her head. "I think I'm going to go home," she said slowly.

"Don't you need a ride?"

"I'll just take the bus," Haley replied, walking past him to reach the nearest bus stop.

"Haley," he called out.

"I'll talk to you later," she replied as the bus came by. Jake suddenly felt bad for startling her like that. He was just too caught up in the moment to even think about his actions. He had fallen for Haley, but knowing that she liked someone else -especially his cousin- hit him hard. Maybe it was because he thought that if he kissed her then she'd feel the chemistry between them. She deserved more than being yelled at and ignored. He wanted her to feel loved, but she clearly didn't find that place in Jake's arms.

Back at the house, Nathan was sitting on the couch, watching a basketball game. He kept glancing at the clock, watching as each passing minute went by. And he grew concerned, wondering where Haley could've been. He held the remote in his head and tapped it continuously on the arm rest, nervous about her whereabouts. He was certain that she was with Jake because he overheard their conversation earlier. But he wasn't sure where they went.

Just when he was about to get his phone out to call her or text her, he heard the door knob wiggling. He quickly turned around and found Haley walking in with her hand covering her mouth. She looked confused and shocked. And he grew confused by her expression.

After shutting the door behind her, she looked up and found a concerned Nathan watching her from the couch. She was surprised to see him there. The way he was staring at her made her feel embarrassed. So she quickly walked into her room without one single glance at him.

**

* * *

**

The next day Haley didn't call Jake back nor did she want to. She felt that everything was awkward for them now. He just kissed her out of the blue after admitting that he'd stay by her side even if her heart didn't belong to him. She thought that he understood her feelings, but he obviously couldn't hold it in. Her friendship with Jake wasn't going to change. It was just going to be awkward now that they have a kiss involved.

Nathan woke up the next morning, wanting to know what happened to Haley, but it seemed like she didn't want to bring anything up. Haley said what she wanted to say earlier. She wanted him to make a decision already and to stop acting so wishy washy around her. But he hadn't made a decision yet. He was trying to stick with the whole "nothing" idea, but his true feelings were telling him otherwise.

As he was drinking his orange juice at the counter, he looked over at Haley who was sitting in the living room. She didn't move or sweep or do anything. She was slumped over, looking distressed and unwell as she looked at her hands. He placed the glass slowly into the sink and wiped his mouth. Then he walked over to her to see if she was feeling ill.

Without warning, Haley felt the back of Nathan's hand against her forehead. She looked at him confused.

"What are you doing?"

"You don't feel hot," he stated, parting away from her and observing her face.

"Do I look sick to you?"

"Yeah," he nodded as he placed his hands into his pocket. "You looked nauseated last night. I was concerned that you might've fallen ill. Did you eat something bad?"

She furrowed her eyes and grew curious at his sudden concern for her. "For a person who dislikes me, you sound like you care," she groaned.

He didn't respond immediately and continued to talk. "I'm your boss. I have to make sure my employee can still work. If she's sick, nothing can get done."

"If that's your excuse," she mumbled.

He sighed deeply and scratched his eyebrow. "Make yourself some soup. I don't want you sick."

"I'm not sick, _boss_, so stop acting like a brother to me. It's annoying," she retorted as she laid back against the couch. She pulled hair up and tied it up in a bun.

"What did Jake feed you last night?" he questioned.

Haley quickly glanced at him once she heard him mention Jake. She thought about their tiny kiss and quickly shook it out of her mind. She was embarrassed.

"Stop butting into my business!" she yelled, tossing a pillow at his face. She tried to hold in her laughter when she saw the expression on his face. He noticed the way she was holding back her laughter and felt a tickle in his chest.

Nathan's eyes grew wide after she hit him in the face with the pillow. He wasn't expecting her to throw anything at him. So he kneeled down to grab the couch pillow and threw it back playfully.

"JERK!" she screamed and hugged the pillow to herself.

He glared at her and suddenly grinned at the mention Haley's nickname for him. He was glad that things were finally going back to normal. At least for the mean time, so he quickly stopped and said, "For that comment, I'm making you rearrange everything in this house."

"So demanding," grumbled as she held the pillow tighter to herself. She saw the grin on his face before he wiped it away and she couldn't help but feel happy to finally see it again. It had been too way too long.

He groaned at her comment and said, "I'm heading to work, so I want this house spotless!"

"Yes, boss!" she yelled as she watched him leave the house. Once he left, she stared longingly at the door, and smiled at the fact that Nathan actually showed that he cared about her – specifically her health. And she began to wonder if Nathan was slowly letting his wall fall down.

**

* * *

**

Jake couldn't stop thinking about last night. Even though he liked kissing Haley for those few seconds, he knew it was a mistake. She liked Nathan, and kissing her just wasn't right on his part especially when he knew how she felt. He didn't even attempt to text her or call her because he was afraid of what was going to happen. Would she think of him the same way or act differently around him? He wasn't quite sure until he spotted her walking out of a convenient store during lunch hour. They were both stunned from each other's presence.

"Hi," he greeted nervously.

"Hi," she replied as she awkwardly walked out holding a bag of new cleaning supplies.

"Can we talk?" he asked. Haley was hesitant to answer, but eventually she responded with a nod. He sighed in relief from her response.

And they both headed over to the park to chat. They sat awkwardly on the bench. She set the plastic bag beside her and played with the ring on her left hand as she waited for someone to talk.

Jake was nervous as well. He couldn't really think of anything until he finally said, "I'm sorry." She turned to him and began to listen. "I didn't mean to startle you."

She blew out a nervous sigh. "It definitely surprised me," she said.

"You looked scared. I should've thought about what I was doing especially when I knew how you felt about Nathan. I was caught up in the moment," he stated. "I'm deeply sorry."

"Hey," she cut in. She could tell that Jake wanted forgiveness. "Stop it, okay?" He looked at her curiously. "It was just a little kiss, nothing more."

"Are you sure about that? You left so quickly, I thought you ran away."

She let out a nervous laugh. "One of my best friends just kissed me on the lips, how else am I supposed to react? Sit there and kiss you some more?"

He nodded, a little embarrassed from his action. "You could've at least stayed. I thought I lost you the minute you left me standing there."

She pouted at his words and turned to him. "Jake, I don't think one simple kiss can ruin our whole friendship. I want to keep you as my friend," she sated. "But if it was with tongue, I'd probably think of you differently," she added with a repulsed expression on her face.

Jake grinned at her joke. "So we're okay?" he asked.

"Kinda," she answered. He glanced at her curiously. She smiled, "Just don't kiss me again. I just might run farther away from you if you do."

He smirked. "I promise I won't."

She rocked back and forth for a minute and sighed. "I'm flattered though," she stated.

"Huh?"

"I have a best friend that likes me so much that he's willing to kiss me to prove it," she answered.

Jake felt embarrassed and nodded. "I'm glad you think my crush on you is funny."

"I think it's cute," she giggled.

"If only you liked me more," he mumbled.

Haley slowly stopped smiling and glanced at Jake who looked a little down. She understood his pain. So she placed her hand on his back and rubbed it for comfort.

**

* * *

**

While Haley was out buying more cleaning supplies, Rachel stopped by the house so she could talk to Haley in person. But when she arrived, no one answered. She knocked and door belled a few more times, but still no answer. She grew frustrated and wondered if Haley was avoiding her. So she peeked through the window to see if she was inside, but she didn't see anyone at all not even a shadow.

She even tried calling her, but she wouldn't answer. She stayed there a bit longer, but she felt raindrops on her skin and decided to leave and try again tomorrow. So she climbed back in to her car where Nancy was waiting and drove back to the hotel.

Haley was sitting in the back seat of Jake's car when she noticed Rachel pass them by. She grew curious and turned around to see if it was really her. And it was. Then she sat back and glanced at her phone. There were about five missed calls from Rachel's number. She didn't answer them because she knew that Rachel was just going to antagonize her even more. So she ignored them. She had a feeling that Rachel knew more than she thought. And it scared Haley.

When Roger finally dropped Haley off at her house, she said goodbye to him and told Jake that she was glad that still remained friends despite their little incident last night. And she entered the house with the new bag of cleaning supplies.

As she walked into the kitchen, she placed the bag of cleaning supplies on the counter and heard thunder rolling outside. Immediately, she thought of Nathan and his fear of storms. She couldn't help but laugh at that fact and glanced outside the window as she watched the rain pour down against the window. She quickly put the cleaning supplies away and walked over to the fridge to grab the ingredients for mac and cheese.

**

* * *

**

Jimmy had been roaming around the city for the past two days, searching for his daughter but there had been no sight of her at any of the restaurants or photography studios he visited. It was a surprise because Haley loved food and loved photography just as much as he did. And oddly enough, she was no where near those locations.

Since it was raining really hard, he decided to take a break from searching fro her. He wanted to stay in for the rest of the night before continuing his journey in the morning. So he chose to stay at the Regalien. He climbed out of his vehicle and spotted a familiar convertible with its hood up across from the hotel. It looked extremely similar to the one he gave Haley for her 18th birthday. He stepped next to it, observing the car and noticed the scribbled employee tag hanging on the rear view mirror. He grew confused.

_That couldn't be Haley's._

He looked away from it and ran across the street to enter the hotel. He noticed paparazzi surrounding the area. It was obvious that someone famous was staying in here. Jimmy didn't really care about gossip magazines or rumors. He was professional and only took photos for fashion magazines. So he wasn't up to date with all the latest news. And since Jimmy wasn't young actress or actor nor was a public figure to the world, paparazzi weren't really obsessed with taking his picture. It made sense because Jimmy was always behind the camera instead of in front of it.

As he entered the extravagant hotel, he walked straight to the reception desk while brushing past Nathan in the lobby. He smiled at the receptionist at the desk and asked to stay in a suite for a couple of days. The lady typed in all of his needed information and handed him the key.

Once Jimmy walked towards the elevator, Nathan was on his way out to his car. He finished with all his paper work just in time to beat the sunset. He didn't want to drive through the storm at dark. He wasn't really a fan of that. So he hurried out toward the highway.

While driving through the rain, he was assailed with thoughts of Haley. He thought about their first meeting with the cop, the way she continuously hit the man that assaulted her outside the club, the way she stood up in his car while he drove along the way, her eagerness to comfort him on bad days, the way she got along so well with his family, the way she bickered back at him when he said something rude, and the way she was on the verge of tears when he told her that he disliked her. It was overwhelming and unbearable. It was almost like the feelings he was holding back were backfiring. He could no longer bottle it up anymore. He couldn't push them away anymore. The way she smiled at him this morning made him remember how happy he was to be around her. He didn't want to keep lying to himself, so he hurried back home.

Back at the house, Haley was busy cooking macaroni and cheese because she knew how Nathan liked eating that during storms. She finished mixing the bunch in the pot and turned off the stove. She reached over to open the cabinet and grabbed a plate from the shelf. She placed it on the dining table and poured some food onto the plate, just enough for Nathan to eat during the storm. As she was just about to put the pot back on the stove, she heard the front door open.

Nathan quickly ran to the kitchen and found her in front of the stove. His heart pounded at the sight of her. She was so beautiful. He couldn't believe how long he dragged this out. And he continued looking at her intensely until she turned around, stunned by his appearance. He looked really serious so she tried to explain herself.

"Um . . . It was storming so I thought I'd make you some macaroni and cheese. I hope that doesn't interfere with anything," she began until Nathan strode forward and held her face in between his hands. Surprising her, he kissed her passionately. She was so stunned by his lips that she couldn't respond.

He could feel his pulse racing and his heart pounding beneath his chest. He slowly pulled apart from her – his eyes still closed- and took in a deep breath. She still hadn't made a move, she just stood there. So when he realized that she wasn't doing anything, he opened his eyes to see her expression. He could tell that she was surprised, but he wasn't sure if it was a good surprised or a bad one.

This kiss was different from the way Jake kissed her. She could feel it from her lips to the marrow of her bones. It left her shaken and happy at the same time. But when she felt his hands slowly pulling away, she glanced at his lips and pulled him closer to her. As she did, she planted her lips back against his, startling him. They both slowly closed their eyes, feeling the warmth of each other's lips and continued kissing passionately. Nathan's tongue asked for permission to enter, and she accepted. His hands were locked against her hair, and they slowly pulled apart, until their lips were only grazing each other. But before they could completely pull part, they gave each other one last feathery kiss and he leaned his forehead against hers.

He slowly stepped back so he could give her a little space, but he kept his hand against her shoulder to keep himself balanced. He couldn't quite stand up because of how weak his legs became. Haley was still stunned by their kiss that she couldn't speak.

He glanced at her mouth and then up to her eyes and said, "I'm only going to say this once, so listen carefully," he began, breathing in deeply. She looked at him, her eyes glazed and waited for him to continue. "I like you, Haley. I tried fighting my feelings away because I was afraid to like someone again. Because I was afraid to be vulnerable. But I couldn't. No matter how mad or cold I was, you always had a way to make me happy. I don't care if you're poor anymore or that you've struggled with money your whole life. I couldn't get you out of my mind. It was too hard . . . so let's try this. Let's be together."

Tears began to fall from her eyes as he finished speaking. That moment was too perfect to mess up; she couldn't say any more than what he just said. He held his breath as he waited impatiently for a response and wondered if she was going to accept his offer. She swallowed the lump in her throat and stepped forward to embrace him tightly into her arms. Right then, Nathan sighed deeply, relieved by her response and cupped the back of her head so she was now closer to him. And they smiled happily at the nearness of their bodies.

* * *

**_What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired!_**


	13. Lie 13

**A/N: **AGHH. Okay so here's the next chapter. I'm about to leave in like thirty minutes because my friend is about to pick me up for the movies. So this author's note will be cut short. BUT I will be editing it later . So look back to read it in case I give you a little shout out. So here's the "BAM" chapter. I hope you like it. I will be back soon with the "real" author's note. It will be much better than this one and much longer. All my love! Enjoy!

**edited:** K, I just got back from watching Eclipse. It was good but not my favorite. Anyways, I said that I would make a better and much longer author's note, but seeing that I've already recieved many reviews on this chapter, I will cut it short and start writing the next chappy. But I am very very very thankful for all of you for giving me wonderous reviews and lengthy ones too. I love how you're all very verbal about the chapters. I'm not complaining because I LOVE LONG REVIEWS. . . haha *hint hint*. It gives me motivation. Gaw. This is an intense chapter. It really is and I hope that it doesn't make you all too mad or too sad. I'm glad that the last chapter was a good way to celebrate fourth of July! hehe. And quick shout out to Kate, omg! Stop playing! You're filipina too! Girl! That is way too freaking amazing. Now we're connected at a much deeper level. And I love you even more now ha. I'm not very experienced with tagalog or any other filipino language but Mahal kita! :)

And again! I am so blessed for having such amazing readers like you all. You all keep me very motivated and inspired!

**_Annie._**

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**Chapter 13 "Lie 13"**

She watched him carefully, wondering if this was all real. It didn't seem real. Was it real? It continued storming for the rest of the night, so they ate the macaroni and cheese that Haley made for Nathan. They both sat across from each other on the living room couch with bowls in their hands. And they tried soaking in the new atmosphere that was created between them.

Nathan couldn't believe it either. He would glance up from his bowl to see if she was really sitting next to him on the couch. He could feel his heart pounding really hard against his chest every time he laid eyes on her. It was probably the happiest moment in his life. The person he liked actually liked him back. And it felt good. He finally accepted his feelings for her. He wasn't going to hold back anymore.

"Tomorrow," she began as she nervously played with her surprisingly still half filled bowl of mac and cheese. "Are you going to take back what you said and yell at me again?"

"I should be the one asking you that," he replied, looking at her shyly. "I remember hearing you admit that you liked me that one day. I wasn't sure if you were joking with me or not."

She placed her bowl in her lap and looked at him. "You laughed at me, you jerk. So I took it back!"

He let out a chuckle. "I was confused. I didn't want to look too stunned," he admitted. "Besides, I still wasn't sure about how I felt about you then. Now I'm sure."

Haley placed a spoon full of macaroni into her mouth to hide her smile. She didn't say anything for a while and he continued to stare at her, admiring the girl who took his breath away. It felt nice to finally be able to look at her this way without her wondering why. Her pulse quickened from the way his eyes were glued o her.

"You never answered my question," she stated.

"Hmm?"

"Are you going to act like you don't like me tomorrow?" she asked, looking down at her bowl.

He lightly grinned and scooted a little bit closer to her. "There was not one second where I didn't like you," he answered. "No matter how hard I tried to hate you, you made me like you more and more every day."

Haley wanted so much to squeal, move around, or do jumpy jacks because she couldn't bear to stay still anymore. She was incredibly happy to be this way with Nathan. It was better than being his friend, his employee and his sister. It was a hundred times better than all three combined.

"Are you going to be rude to me?" she questioned.

"Maybe," he smirked.

She glared at him and asked another question. "Are you going to be nicer to me?"

He nodded. "Yes," he whispered.

"When do you think I look the prettiest?" she smiled as she leaned forward while batting her eyelashes at him.

"When you're not chattering so much," he replied with an annoyed face.

Haley stopped blinking her eyes and leaned back against the arm rest. Then she lightly kicked him on the leg. "Aren't you glad that I named that fish after you?"

Nathan shook away that thought and placed the bowl of macaroni and cheese on the table. Then he turned to her completely and asked, "What do you like about me?"

She met up with his eyes and noticed the blueness of his orbs. "Everything," she answered without hesitation.

He smirked at her answer and continued to admire her beauty. Again, she sat there nervously as she felt Nathan's energy against her. She couldn't stop her pulse from racing or the pounding against her chest. It became so overwhelming that she couldn't quite catch her breath. So she cleared her throat and placed her bowl on the table.

"I'm sleepy," she lied. She just needed an excuse to leave before her heart busted out of her chest.

"What?" he asked surprised. "You don't look sleepy. Stay up with me," he begged. She climbed off the chair and grabbed their bowls.

"See, I've been having trouble sleeping because of you lately. So I really need to catch up on my sleep," she stated before quickly dragging her feet away to the kitchen.

Nathan furrowed his eyes at her excuse and let out a little chuckle as he watched her clean the bowls. Then he climbed off the chair and followed her into the kitchen. "Let me help you," he offered.

Haley tensed up and hurriedly washed the bowls. She brushed them quickly and rinsed them with water. Before he reached her side, she was already placing them on the dry racket.

"Sorry, all done," she smiled. "I'll talk to you in the morning," she said and left his side for her bedroom.

She walked around him and skipped down the hallway back to her room. He laughed to himself when he noticed how antsy she was. Once he heard her door shut, he sighed in relief. He leaned forward against the counter and placed his hand against his chest, aware of his pounding heart. She never ceased to amaze him.

In Haley's room, she flopped onto her bed and held the nearest pillow tightly to herself. She started moving around like a worm and squealed into the pillow so that Nathan couldn't hear her. She was so full of excitement that she couldn't bear to hold it all in. Once she was done rolling side to side on her bed, she sat up and thought about her decision to tell him about her wealthy background. But she was kind of afraid to see how he'd react. And she wondered if he'd ever look at her the same way once he found out. Would he be okay with it because she was honest with him or would he be upset for making him believe one thing for so long?

She sighed and lay back against her bed and thought about this over and over. Then she glanced over at her camera that was sitting above her suitcase of clothing that Brooke brought her and grabbed it. She turned the camera on and quickly reviewed the pictures until she found the photos of Nathan and Rachel.

She didn't want to use them as an excuse to stay here. Now that they fully accepted their true feelings about each other, there was no reason to keep the photos. So she deleted every single one of them. And she was glad that she did because it felt like a whole bunch of weight was lifted from her shoulders. There were no more photos to worry about it anymore.

**

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**

The very next morning, instead of staying home and cooking him breakfast, Nathan decided they'd go out to eat. It didn't matter where or what they were going to eat as long as they were together. So Haley showered and dressed up pretty for the day. She still worried about her other issue. She couldn't be fully satisfied with her relationship with a lie still lingering around. And she promised herself that she would tell him later in the day. It was too early to tell him now. They just got together and it would be a shame for one confession to mess it all up. So she decided to enjoy the day with him before she told him.

Sitting in his fancy convertible, she laid her head back and closed her eyes. She soaked in all the positive energy that she was feeling and smiled at the thought of Nathan's lips on hers. She couldn't stop replaying that moment over and over again. It almost seemed like it came from a movie. Things like that don't happen too often.

_"I like you, Haley. I tried fighting my feelings away because I was afraid to like someone again. Because I was afraid to be vulnerable. But I couldn't. No matter how mad or cold I was, you always had a way to make me happy. I don't care if you're poor anymore or that you've struggled with money your whole life. I couldn't get you out of my mind. It was too hard . . . so let's try this. Let's be together."_

She sighed deeply at his words and continued to feel the breeze against her skin. As Nathan was steering the wheel with one arm on top, he glanced at Haley's image in the passenger seat. She looked so calm and relaxed. It was comforting and relieving to see her sitting there without worry or pain. He was glad that he was able to take that all away from her. Being by her side was all that he wanted. After living with her for weeks on end, he thought he'd grow sick of her. But everything from within her: her personality, her jokes, her clumsiness, and warmth made her desirable.

Turning back to the road, he reached over to grab her hand. Haley opened her eyes at the touch and looked down. She could feel her heart pounding beneath her chest. And he laced his fingers with hers and held it tightly.

"This feels good," he mumbled with sincerity. Haley gazed at him and smiled. He didn't turn to her completely but he was pleased by what he saw from his peripheral vision. "Let's stay this way," he whispered.

"Holding hands?" she asked.

"Being together," he corrected.

Haley glanced at their intertwined fingers and rubbed her thumb against his hand. "Okay," she replied.

And they stayed like that for a few more minutes until Nathan's phone rang. So he gently pulled apart from her and answered his cell phone.

"Hello?"

"Nathan, where are you?" Emily asked.

"Um," he began while he leaned over to glance at his rear view mirror so he could switch lanes. "I'm heading out for breakfast. Did something come up?"

"Yes, sir. Your father sent a few people from Europe to talk to you about the negotiations overseas," Emily answered. "I'm not sure how long they'll be around, but they're interested in having a meeting soon today."

Nathan grimaced at the abrupt news and glanced over at Haley who was looking at him curiously. "I guess I'll just head over there now and talk to them. Are they there already?"

"Yes sir, they actually just arrived," Emily answered. "Were you busy?"

"I was going to have breakfast with Haley," he replied, reaching over to smooth Haley's hair back. "But since this is urgent, we'll just have lunch."

"I'm sorry if I disturbed you. They said it won't take long."

"Hey don't apologize. You're only doing your job. So I'll meet you in a bit," he stated and hung up the phone. He placed it into his little secretive slot underneath the stereo and turned back around to the hotel.

"So no breakfast?" Haley questioned.

"Unfortunately, but we'll go somewhere fancy for lunch or dinner," he replied. "Or both. I'll buy you whatever you want."

Haley's face lit up at the sound of food. "You're too good to me," she smiled and looked at him with a mischievous grin. "Brother," she added.

Nathan scoffed. He cringed at her little joke and lightly poked her in the head. She scrunched her nose at him and stuck her tongue out.

He chuckled at her childish gesture and couldn't help but think how adorable it was. "Don't change," he ordered.

"I won't."

**

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**

"I'm going to head out to talk to Haley again," Rachel stated as she walked out of the elevator. "If she doesn't answer the door or my phone calls, I think I'm going to explode!"

Nancy followed her as they walked down the hall towards the lobby. "What exactly are you going to tell her?"

"If she doesn't stop this negotiation with Nathan, I'm going to report her to the police for black mail," she replied. "And if she doesn't-"she stopped when she spotted Nathan and Haley walking through the entrance with their hands intertwined.

Nancy turned to where Rachel was looking at and saw Nathan and Haley holding hands. It was surprising to see them in that position. She turned to see Rachel's reaction. It looked as if someone had just punched the air out of her lungs. And she couldn't quite catch her breath.

"Am I seeing things?" Rachel asked. Her assistant slowly returned her gaze at the couple in the lobby and watched as they smiled happily at each other. "They couldn't be, could they?"

Nathan didn't want to let her hand go, but people were waiting in his office so he slipped his hands away from hers. He already missed her when their hands parted.

"I'll try not to take so long at the meeting, but until I get out, enjoy lunch at the restaurant," he stated. "Try not to eat so much. The other guests need to eat too."

Haley glared at him. "Do I look like a garbage truck to you?"

"With your appetite, you just might eat the whole kitchen."

"Grr," she growled. "You're mean."

"Haven't I always been?" he smirked.

She stared at him for a minute and noticed the wrinkles on his forehead again. "You should try to be nice more often," she stated as she reached over to smooth the creases on his head. "You're going to start looking old if you get mad all the time."

He smiled at her as she caressed his face. Then she pulled apart from him and tried to catch her breath again.

"I have to go now," he stated. "Listen when I tell you not to eat so much, okay?"

"What will happen if I do?" she questioned.

"Bad things," he answered seriously. "So don't eat a lot."

She nodded in response and watched him leave towards the elevator. She sighed deeply when she saw him disappear and walked over to the restaurant for breakfast.

Both Nancy and Rachel walked out from behind the wall they were hiding in, and glanced at Haley's figure entering the hotel dining area. Rachel couldn't believe what she had just seen. She literally felt like Nathan had betrayed her.

**

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Brooke sat on her porch staring blankly at her cell phone screen. She waited and waited for Jimmy or Haley to call but nothing appeared in the past two days. She wanted to know what was happening over at Charlotte, but she had no clue. She was scared of what was going to happen to her friendship with Haley. Will Haley forgive her? Will she trust her again? Will they remain best friends? It was scary to not know what was going to happen in the future. If only life wasn't so unpredictable.

"Babe," Lucas stated from the door way. "What are you doing?"

Brooke looked over her shoulder and turned back to her phone. "I'm waiting," she answered.

Lucas slowly closed the door, making sure he didn't wake Marley up, and sat next to her on the steps. "They will call eventually. They probably haven't even seen each other yet."

"I'm contemplating whether I should call her and tell her before they do," she stated, glancing at her phone and pressing the button to her phone book list. She scrolled it down until she reached Haley's name.

"Don't call her, Brooke."

"Why not? She has a right to know that her own father is out there looking for her."

"If you tell her, she's only going to run away and then Jimmy will never get a chance to reconcile with his daughter, so don't call her," he demanded.

"Haley's my best friend and she needs to know," she stated and pressed the button. She pulled it up to her ear but Lucas quickly grabbed it and turned it off.

"Luke!" she gasped. "Give me my phone!" she ordered through her teeth.

"I don't want you calling Haley!" he stated, hiding it behind his back.

"Give it!" she whined as she reached over to grab it but he kept moving it away from her. They did this for a little bit longer until Lucas decided to run across the lawn with it.

"You're such a child!" she cried out while she chased him around. "I won't call her so give me my phone!"

"No," he refused. He stopped in the middle of the yard and held it straight above his head. And Brooke kept jumping up and down trying to grab it. "Don't you hate being short?"

She glared at him for that comment and hit him in the gut causing him to bend over from the sudden hit. "Ugh!"

Brooke quickly snatched her phone back and called Haley's number.

Lucas glanced up and noticed his wife holding the phone up to her ear. "Brooke!"

Haley was in the middle of scarfing down her food when she heard her phone ring. She rummaged through her purse and looked at the screen. She smiled at her best friend's name and answered it.

"Hey hoe," she greeted. She poked her fork into a strawberry and pulled it up to her mouth.

"Haley, what are you doing?"

"I'm eating breakfast by myself," she answered as she held the phone between her ear and shoulder so that she could cut her pancakes with a knife and fork. "What do you want?"

"I need to tell you something."

"Okay, I have a few things to tell you too."

"Well I'll go first because what I have to say is more important than what you have to tell me."

Haley scoffed and added another piece of pancake into her mouth. "Then just say it, I'm eating something incredibly delicious and I don't want to be distracted."

"You might hate me for what I'm about to say."

Haley stuffed her mouth with food and nodded as she waited for her best friend to continue on. "Get on with it," she mumbled. She kept chewing her food as she heard Brooke breathe out. She rolled her eyes when she realized that she was stalling and looked up from her plate and found a familiar man staring at her.

"It's about your da-"

"I'm going to have to call you back later," Haley stated and hung up the phone. Her eyes were stuck on the man who was nervously smiling at her. He looked as if he wasn't sure what to do or where to move. "Dad?"

"May I sit?" he asked. Still stunned by his appearance, Haley nodded slowly.

From the entrance, the waitress led Nancy and Rachel to the nearest booth behind Haley. She specifically wanted to be closer to the window, so they were able to choose their table. When they were approaching their seat, Rachel couldn't help but notice the familiar man sitting across from Haley. _Jimmy James?_

"What drinks can I get for you ladies?" the waitress asked.

"Just water," Rachel answered.

"Orange juice," Nancy stated.

"Okay, I will get your drinks and I'll be right with you."

They both nodded and looked at each other; aware of whom they were sitting behind. Rachel's back was facing Haley's back and Nancy was facing their table, so she was able to see what was going on.

"That's Jimmy James," Nancy whispered, looking over Rachel's shoulder.

"I noticed," Rachel whispered back.

"What's he doing with Haley?" they both wondered.

At the table next to them, Jimmy and Haley sat awkwardly across from each other. Haley had her mouth full of food which made her cheeks look poofy. He questioned her appetite and said, "I see that you haven't failed to feed your stomach."

Haley chewed the rest of her food and swallowed it. Seeing the sight of her father made her angry. She still held a grudge against him for all those awful years post her mother's death. She couldn't believe that he had the nerve to come here.

"Well, I am old enough to be responsible for my own body," she replied without any emotion. She started poking her food and asked, "How did you find me?"

He didn't want to rat Lucas or Brooke out so he made up an excuse that was close to the truth. "I had a photo shoot close by at the time of your mother's memorial and I wanted to visit you. But you weren't in town, so I decided to come to Charlotte."

Haley didn't believe him and started picking her teeth. "I don't believe that. Who told you? Brooke?"

"No. They didn't tell me anything. I came here on my own and decided to search for you. I didn't expect to see you at the same exact hotel as me," he replied. "I came in to eat breakfast and I saw you. I had no clue you were here."

"Why did you search for me?" she questioned.

"Because I'm your father, Haley. I wanted to see my own daughter. It's been years since I've seen your face," he replied with sincerity in his tone. Rachel and Nancy lightly gasped at what he just said. _Haley's his daughter? What?_

Haley heard the faint sounds behind her. She grew curious and tried to turn around, but her father continued. "I heard that you've been struggling with your rent lately," he stated.

She was about to cut another piece of food off her plate, but she paused and stared at him. "So Brooke and Lucas _did_ tell you where I was," she snapped. "Bitches.".

"Hey, don't you start getting angry at them for trying to help you," he cut in, scolding her like an actual parent.

"I told them not to tell you anything. I didn't want you to know anything at all."

Jimmy was a little hurt when she said that and began to play with the ring on his left hand. He thought about the moment he saw Lucas and Brooke with their child. He was surprised to see that so much had passed. His daughter's friends were married with a baby already. It was marveling. He had missed a lot during those five years and it killed him to realize that Haley completely shut him out of her life. He glanced at her left hand, making sure she didn't get married without his consent and sighed in relief when he saw that nothing was there. It was hard living on his own without a wife and daughter by his side.

"Was I really that bad of a father to you?" he asked, looking up at her as she ate.

She took a moment before she answered. "You were barely a father," she mumbled. "At that time, you never treated me as a daughter. You treated me like an extra obligation," she said.

"I never thought of it that way," he started. "I was still grieving over your mother's death."

"Grieving?" she scoffed. "When she died nothing mattered anymore. I didn't matter to you anymore."

"Haley, of course you still mattered to me," he stated. "I never thought you didn't."

"Your actions showed otherwise," she grumbled, placing a fork full of food in her mouth.

He sighed deeply, aware of Haley's growing irritation. "And I want to make up for that. I want to be the father that you needed."

"The father I needed wouldn't have shut me out from the rest of the world," she snapped. "I wanted a father who supported me and loved me because he cared. Not a father who gave me things to keep me from whining. Then when I ran away for the last time, you told me that I wasn't going to make it out in the real world. And that just made me even angrier. I wanted to prove to you that I could make it out there."

"I can see that I didn't do such a good job after the accident. I hurt you and I realized that. And I was definitely punished for my poor job as a parent. Throughout those years you were gone, I understood and I realized that I needed to be there for you," he replied.

Rachel suddenly coughed extremely loud after he spoke and excused herself from the table bringing Nancy with her. Haley was startled by the sound and turned around to see what was going on. She didn't find anyone sitting at the table, and turned to the aisle and found two familiar figures turning the corner .Then the waitress came by with their drinks.

"Where'd they go?" she questioned.

Haley looked up at the confused waitress and shrugged. "I think they left."

The waitress stared at the empty table in confusion and nodded. "Thank you," she said and turned back towards the kitchen.

Haley turned back to her father and stabbed her fork into her breakfast. She completely ignored what he said and continued eating her food. She was still a bit annoyed that her father was still sitting there. Didn't he know that Haley didn't want him there?

"Please, Haley," he said, trying to read her expression. She didn't really do anything except pick at her food, so he continued. "It's been hard living a life without a family. I no longer had a wife or a daughter to turn to. I just want my daughter back."

She slowly stopped eating her food. She realized that it must've been lonely living a fabulous life with no one to share it with. Throughout those years, she was selfish and determined to do something for herself, but she never considered his feelings. She was young and naïve then. She wanted to prove that she could live on her own so badly that she didn't even think about how her father felt. Now that she was older and matured, she thought that maybe things could get better.

She swallowed the food in her mouth and slowly moved her eyes up to him. "I forgive you," she whispered.

**

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**

"Did you hear them?" Rachel questioned as they made their way outside the restaurant.

"Yes," Nancy replied as they both started walking across the lobby. "The swindler's father is Jimmy James."

Rachel scratched her temple in confusion. "I don't get it. Haley's a wealthy girl, but she's working as Nathan's maid so she could get money?"

"Didn't you hear what she said, Rach?" Nancy asked. "She wanted to prove to her father that she could live a stabled life. Either way, swindler or wealthy, she's still using Nathan for her own sake."

"Do you think he knows about this?"

"Who knows? They looked awfully cozy with each other earlier. He probably knows."

Rachel's jaw clenched at the horrific thought. It stung her every time she pictured them together in her head. Then she turned towards the elevator and found Nathan walking out. He looked extremely happy. She figured it must've been about Haley. So she quickly walked over to him.

"Hey," she greeted.

He glanced at her and rolled his eyes. "Rachel, what do you want now?"

"I just wanted to say hi to an acquaintance," she grinned. "We're still acquaintances, right?"

He sighed and started walking across the lobby towards the restaurant. "I guess."

"Why are you smiling so much?" she questioned.

"I have someone on my mind."

"Is it that girl Jake brought to the wedding?" she asked. Nathan started slowing his pace and looked at Rachel curiously.

"What makes you think that?"

"I saw you two walk in the hotel holding hands. It's pretty obvious."

Nathan could see the hurt in Rachel's eyes. He never thought he'd see the day where Rachel actually felt a little jealous of Nathan. It was because he was the one who was too busy being jealous of her and her random nights with other men. He figured it was sweet revenge. And he continue walking.

Rachel realized that he wasn't saying anything in response and continued. "I know that's she's the girl who took our photos,"' she stated, causing Nathan to stop in his tracks. "She's using you," she said.

"Rachel," he began.

"I know about your deal with her," she said roughly. "I know that she blackmailed you into giving her a job."

"Aren't you glad that I'm taking care of it for you?" he asked. "You don't have to worry about those rumors anymore." He started walking to the restaurant again, but she jogged after him.

"But she's using you," she repeated.

"You think I don't know that," he stated.

Her eyes widened. "So you know that she's wealthy?"

"Wealthy?" he chuckled. "Why would a swindler blackmail me for money if she's wealthy?"

"She didn't tell you?"

"What are you talking about?" he asked, clearly amused.

"Haley's wealthy, Nathan. I just saw her with her father. Her father is Jimmy James, you know the photographer I am absolutely in love with. She ran away from home a couple of years ago because she was mad at him. She wanted to prove to her father that she could live a stabled life. She's only using you for her own sake," she explained.

Nathan suddenly stopped walking and looked at Rachel curiously. "What?"

"Nathan, I'm telling you the truth. That girl is using you. She lied to you about being poor," Rachel stated.

"Stop making things up. She is poor," he stated, trying his best not to believe her.

"Why won't you listen to me? I'm trying to be your friend here by telling you that that girl is using you," she stated. "That selfish spoiled brat is using you."

When he was still friends with Rachel, she was always honest with him. She never held back what she wanted to say or felt. That's why it was so hard to like her for so long; she always told him that they couldn't be more. And to hear her say that the one girl who made him truly happy was a liar was surprising.

Haley walked out of the restaurant with an older man behind her. She lit up at the sight of Nathan, but he wasn't expressing the same happiness. She grew concerned and glanced at Rachel who was standing right next to him.

"Dad, I'll be right back," she stated and walked up to Nathan.

First she glanced at Rachel who was looking at her nervously and glanced up at her boss who was looking at her strangely.

"Why are you looking at me like that? Bad meeting?"

He kept staring at her, hoping that none of this was true and asked, "Are you really poor?"

"Huh?"

"Did you lie to me about being poor?" he repeated, roughly.

Haley suddenly felt her chest tighten and her stomach churn. Then she glanced at Rachel who had her hand over her mouth.

"Nathan, I was going to tell you-"'

"Wait!" he cut in. "So you did lie to me?"

Haley bit her lip and looked at him with pity. She could see the anger in his eyes. "Nathan, please listen to me, okay? I was going to tell you about it eventually, but then you kissed me and I was happy. I didn't want to ruin it."

Rachel's eyes widened at words. He kissed her?

Nathan felt his temperature rise. He couldn't look at her adoringly because he felt betrayed by her. The woman he fell for lied to him. "I told you that I admired you for being able to smile so much even though you had little money. You made me believe that you were poor, but you're not," he said shakily. "Haley, you lied to me."

She reached over to hold his hand. "Nathan, please-"

But Nathan roughly pulled away. "'NO!" he snapped. He looked at her one more time full of anger. He quickly turned around and walked right out of the hotel. Haley tried pushing her tears away and jogged after him.

By the time she walked out, he was already across the street opening his car. Haley quickly crossed the street to reach him before he left. Tears began crawling down her cheeks when she noticed the pain in his expression. He looked hurt and betrayed. She finally reached the other side of the road and started knocking on the window so he could listen to her. But he ignored her and drove off. She tried running after him, but he stepped on the gas and sped away.

"NATHAN! NATHAN!" she yelled.

She stopped running after him when she saw him disappear. She couldn't breathe nor see anymore. He was leaving her and she felt like a ton of bricks was sitting on her chest. She couldn't stop herself from crying. Even when she tried, they kept coming and coming. She didn't think it was possible to feel this horrible. She hadn't felt this way in years.

She was in the middle of the street as people swerved around her. She didn't move. She couldn't move. She was almost lifeless. Her father walked out of the hotel and noticed his daughter in the middle of the street. Afraid, he rushed over to her and dragged her out of the way.

"Honey, what the hell were you doing?" he asked, holding her close to him on the sidewalk.

Haley didn't speak. All she could do she was bury her face against his chest to hide her tears. He began to caress her hair when he felt and heard her sobbing. She was trembling too and all he wanted to do was make her feel better, to calm her down.

**

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**

It had been a few hours since Nathan stormed out on her and she grew worried about his whereabouts. He didn't look himself when she saw the anger in his expression. Him realizing that she lied to him and confronting him about it was the hardest thing she could possible go through. She remembered the wrinkles on his forehead, the wateriness of his eyes and the clenching of his jaw. She even had a feeling that his heart was going to explode through his chest. That was how guilty she felt for lying to him. He just confessed his true feelings to her last night and now it had all gone to waste.

She sat in the lobby with her father sitting beside her and pulled out her phone. Staring at his nickname on her phone, she pressed the button and called him. Haley wanted to know where he was and if he was okay. With that kind of temper, something bad could've happened to him.

Her heart quickened as she waited for him to answer. She grew concerned when she realized that he wasn't picking up. She wasn't surprised. He was hurt. And she couldn't take it anymore.

Nathan was driving around Charlotte without knowing where he was going. He couldn't stop thinking about how awful he felt inside. Haley lied to him about being poor. He told her everything he had to go through as a child. He told her how lonely it was to live in wealth. And she sympathized with him as if she didn't know what he was going through. But she did. She knew exactly how he felt, but she never told him. She never spoke of it. All she talked about was her rent, her best friends, and her constant want for the simple things.

As he drove, he spotted Jake walking out of a coffee shop and quickly parked on the curb. Startling Jake, he climbed out of his car and approached him.

"It's a surprise to see you here," Jake greeted with a smile. Nathan sighed deeply and looked at his cousin seriously. "What's wrong with you?"

"Did you know?" he asked him roughly.

"Know what?" Jake replied, confused.

"Did you know that Haley was wealthy this whole time?" Jake closed his eyes, realizing that the truth had come out. "So you knew and didn't tell me?" Nathan asked, noticing his inability to respond back.

"I didn't think it was needed," he replied. "And she wanted me to keep it from you."

"You should've told me anyways. I'm your cousin," Nathan stated roughly. "We're supposed to be family."

"I know I know, but she really didn't want me to say anything. I promised," he replied.

"You promised a lying girl to keep something like that from me? I'm your family!" he repeated. Nathan could see the guilt on his cousin's face.

"She didn't want to hurt you," he said.

"Well she did a very good job at that," Nathan stated dryly. "Because I feel deceived."

Jake looked at his cousin curiously, aware of the pain that he was feeling. "I know I should've told you sooner, but I just couldn't."

"Is it because you like her? Huh?" Nathan snapped. "You wanted to impress her so much that you were willing to lie for her?"

"Nathan," Jake started. "Don't think of it that way."

"Well I am!" he snapped. "This is unbelievable." He turned away quickly to return to his car. "Everyone's betraying me today."

"Why are you so angry?" he yelled. "Aren't you glad that she's rich? You don't have to pay her anymore. You don't have to keep her in the house over your stupid negotiation anymore."

Nathan turned to him before he opened his car. "Would it have killed me if she told me?"

"She had her reasons."

"What reasons? I would've been okay if she told me about it. I would've been okay if she was honest with me. But no, she lied to me Jake! She lied!" he yelled.

"But she likes you, Nate. Isn't that enough?" he asked.

Nathan stood there, thinking about his cousins' words and shook his head in disbelief. He groaned and climbed into his car and sped off again.

**

* * *

**

"Who was that man?" Jimmy asked as he stared at his daughter's seemingly lonesome face.

Haley forced herself to stop crying again and turned to her father. After having the man she fell for run out of her life, she was afraid that her father just might do the same thing if she told him what she was doing here.

"You're going to hate me too," she mumbled, feeling her chin quiver.

"No,no," he replied, shaking his head. He could tell that Haley was already going through enough. He didn't want to make it worse for her. Living five years of his life without his own daughter was suffering enough. He wasn't going to leave her anymore. "Tell me," he stated.

"You'll disown me," she responded.

"Hales, I'm your father. I won't disown you."

She placed her face into the palms of her hands and cried. "I am ashamed of what I've done."

"What?" he asked curiously.

She lifted her face from her hands; mascara smeared under her eyes and looked at her father. "I blackmailed him with paparazzi pictures of him and Rachel Gatina. I threatened to release the photos if he didn't give me what I wanted. I forced him to give me a job and to pay me on the spot. And he did. I've been living in his house for the past month and a half cleaning his house while he gave me money."

Alarmed by the story, he looked at her strangely. "You were willing to blackmail someone to get money so that you could pay your rent in time?" he questioned.

"It was wrong of me," she whispered. "It was something I'd never do."

"Haley, why did you do that?"

"I don't know. I was struggling and I quit my job at the time," she began to explain.

"Why didn't you ask me for help? I would've given you money."

"I didn't want to. I wanted to prove to you that I could make it and I was also afraid that you'd scold me for failing."

"Haley, I would never do that to you."

She placed her face back into her hands, hiding her tears away from her father and mumbled, "He'll never forgive me."

**

* * *

**

By the time Jake arrived to the hotel, Haley was already stepping into a bus back to go back to the house. He could tell that she had been crying. He was going to jog after her, but the doors had already closed and it drove away. He watched it longingly and entered the hotel where he spotted Rachel and Nancy sitting in the lobby. He had a feeling that she had something to do with this.

"Rachel," he called out.

Rachel and Nancy were busy talking when she looked up to see Jake approaching her.

"Hey," she greeted.

"Did you see Haley today?" he asked.

"Who?" Rachel replied, pretending like she didn't know who she was.

"The woman I brought to the wedding," he answered. "Did you see her come in?"

"No," she answered. Jake looked at her curiously. All the years that he knew Rachel, she was very bad at lying. Even though she was an actress, supposedly a newest starlet, he knew when she wasn't telling the truth.

"What did you do?" he asked.

"What are you talking about?" she replied, turning away from Jake to look at Nancy nervously.

"Nathan is pissed off right now and I just saw Haley crying on the bus. Something must've happened."

Rachel bit her lip, guilty for what she's done and turned back around. "If you must know, I told Nathan that Haley was using him for her own benefit. I told him that she was lying to him."

"Why the hell did you do that for?" Jake questioned in frustration.

"Because Nathan had a right to know," she snapped. "I was trying to be a good friend."

Jake had no idea how Rachel knew about Haley's background or Nathan's situation with her. That didn't matter to him. The only thing that really ticked him off was that Rachel messed with something she shouldn't have meddled with. Now both people were torn, angry, and hurt.

"Good job, Rachel," he stated sarcastically. "If you wanted to be a good friend, you should've thought less of yourself and considered how he'd feel about it before you said anything," he said and turned away quickly towards the elevator.

**

* * *

**

Haley lay on her bed, waiting for Nathan to come back. Her eyes were still swollen from crying so much. She couldn't handle the pain in her chest anymore. Worrying so much was starting to become nauseating. It was making her ill. She just wanted Nathan to come back home. She was concerned that he'd do something to himself or get himself in an accident. It was too hard to handle waiting so long for him to come back. Hours had passed since she saw him drive away in anger. Too long.

She rolled over and placed her face into her pillow. She sobbed some more when she finally heard the door open. Lifting her head up from her pillow, she stared at her door. She waited until she heard it slam shut to come out from hiding.

Her heart began to race when started walking down the hall. Appearing by the front door was Nathan. She walked slowly to him, but he ignored her and entered the kitchen. She closed her eyes, hurt by his cold shoulder and followed him into the kitchen.

"I didn't mean to lie to you," she began. He opened the refrigerator for a bottle of water and continued to avoid her. "In the beginning, I did it for the money. I wanted to prove to my father that I could make it on my own. I was late on my rent and I quit my job. I had no where to go and no money to spend. I didn't want to ask my father for money because I didn't want him to see that I failed. So I just drove to Charlotte in the middle of the night with little gas on my tank and no cash in my pockets. Then I took those pictures and I made a deal with you so that I could get money in time to pay for my rent, but then I started liking it here. I liked spending time with you and your family. That's when I started feeling guilty for deceiving you and making you believe that I was poor. I'm sorry for lying to you. I was going to tell you eventually, but then I remembered you were leaving soon and I just wanted to be happy with the remaining time we had together."

Nathan leaned forward on the counter, his hands grasping tight to the edge of the marble and looked at her.

"Please tell me that this isn't true," he begged. "Please tell me that you didn't lie to me this whole time," he said softly.

Haley stood there, water developing in her eyes as she heard him begging her to say that none of it was true. He was pleading and hoping that she didn't deceive him. But she couldn't lie to him again. She had enough of the lying. She couldn't do it anymore.

When he noticed her inability to talk, he strode across the kitchen to get her full attention. Grasping her shoulders in his hands, he leaned forward to look her straight in the eye.

"Haley, you're kidding right? Tell me that Rachel was wrong. Please tell me that you didn't lie to me about being poor. Because you don't lie to the person you love," he stated. Haley closed her eyes tightly to fight away the tears that coming. Again, she didn't say anything in response and sighed deeply. He felt as if a bull dozer had hit him straight in the chest. "You lied to me," he whispered, alarmed by her silence.

Her eyes slowly opened, letting the tears fall down her cheeks. The expression of defeat on his face killed her. And he slowly softened his grasp around her shoulders.

"I'm sorry," she apologized, weeping. "I'm so sorry," she whispered.

Stepping back in a pained daze, he looked at her in disbelief. "I should've just ignored you. I shouldn't have kissed you yesterday," he began as he watched Haley's tears flow down her face. "I knew I was going crazy when I realized that I had fallen for someone like you. Why didn't I follow my head instead of my heart?" he stated.

"Nathan-"

"I want you out of here," he cut in.

Haley looked at him in shock. "What?"

"I don't want a conniving liar living under my roof," he said softly, refusing to hurt her even more. "Just get your stuff and leave my house right now. Go back to your wealthy father. Let him give you the money for your rent."

"Nathan," she said, furrowing her eyebrows.

"Haley, don't make me drag you out of here with my bare hands," he stated with a serious face.

Overwhelmed, she slowly walked out of the kitchen towards her room. Biting her lip as she walked down the hall, she could feel herself getting light headed from all the tears. How could a amazingly good day turn so awfully bad in a second? It was funny how life could be unpredictable like that.

Sobbing, she packed all her belongings into her suitcase and dragged it down the hall. Nathan looked out the kitchen entrance and saw her walking towards the foyer. She wiped her eyes and opened the front door. She glanced behind her, hoping to see Nathan run after her, but he never did. Haley closed her eyes and let the last of her tears fall. Then she shut the door behind her and walked towards the nearest bus stop.

Still in the kitchen, Nathan's eyes welled up with tears. He was overwhelmed with pain that he couldn't hold it in any longer. He angrily crushed the water bottle and threw it across the kitchen. And he slid forward on the counter, placing his face into his hands.

* * *

**What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired!**


	14. Lie 14

**A/N: **Hi readers! I'm sorry I didn't get to update last night. I was revising a lot, thinking of good ways to write this chapter. And I could see that all of you hated Rachel in the last chapter. And some of you also sympathized her for trying to be a good friend which I'm glad people got to see as well. People have different ways to cope with losses, Rachel just chose the wrong way to reconcile with her bff Nathan Scott. hehe. Anyways here's a few shout outs. **Angela** - I'm so glad that you finally got a chance to review my story. I'm glad that the story has become more than you expected. And I am so happy that you like it. **Christina - **Hi, love I missed you. And I totally understand your reasons for not reviewing haha. Sometimes reality catches up to you and oh, I'm glad that my story isn't predictable. I hope not, but if it is, I'm not really ashamed of it haha. But I applaud you for sensing the future. :) Thanks again for the long review. You know I always appreciate them. **Intrigued** - Ha, I'm glad you're very intrigued with my story. I think the whole problem about Haley's lie is because_ it was a lie_. And no one likes to be lied to. I think this chapter will kind of explained that for you, but if you still don't understand, I'll explain it in the author's note ha. And oh, I did think of making Haley get hit by a car, but that's too melodramatic for my story. PLL is not really meant to be melodramatic. :) **Miessa -** AWWWWW my baby cakes! Oh how I miss you! I'm so happy to see that you've been drawn to my story. You're even addicted to it. I was so so so thrilled when I saw your comment. I was literally smiling. I hope I didn't keep you waiting for this chapter! I'm glad my writing pulled you in. **be-u **- hi hun! I would like to welcome you in to the Pretty Little Liar world. I'm happy that you've come to admire the characters. That's what I like to hear the most from my readers. I was able to create fictional personalities that people could love. And I'm so so so happy to hear you say they're "real and lovable". Sometimes loving all the characters in a story is better than hating half of the characters **Kate **- Aww it's sad to hear that you'll be a little late on reviewing my chapters, but I understand that you'll be away. That would be fun, Europe is so much more exciting I'm sure. :) And I'm so glad that you liked how I built and unraveled all the secrets and lies. It took a while to think of ways to do it. And yes, I really didn't want to do a very big outbreak scene of him finding out. My story's simple and I'd like to keep it that way. haha. At least we , filipinas, can relate to each other. We're both sad sad pinays. But thanks for the advanced warning and amazing review. I hope you enjoy your trip!

And to all the rest of my readers who reviewed and those who have read but not reviewed, I'd like to thank you for all the amazing support and encouragement you all have given me. Again, as I say in every author's note, I am very blessed. And I'm so glad to have given you a story like this. I'll be sure to thank each and every one of you after I finish the story. Because I appreciate and love you all so much for being so kind to me.

_-Annie_

* * *

**Chapter 14 "Lie 14"**

"Are you ready?" her father asked from outside the bathroom.

Haley finished combing her hair in front of the mirror and walked out refreshed from taking a shower and brushing her teeth. Since Nathan kicked her out of the house last night, she stayed at her father's suite. They no longer had any reason to stay in Charlotte, so they got prepared to leave for Tree Hill. Jimmy was willing to give her enough money to pay her rent, bills and other survival needs like food, gas, clothes, and what not. But that was the only time she was ever going to accept any kind of money from him. She was so used to living independently that working for money was the only way to live. Being over twenty five years old, Haley believed that money should not be handed to a person who didn't work hard for it.

Jimmy looked up from zipping up his suitcase and noticed how puffy his daughter's eyes were. She could not stop crying last night. He feared that she'd get dehydrated from losing so much water. Seeing his own daughter cry like that wasn't easy. Honestly, it was the hardest thing to watch. He hadn't seen her cry like that in ages. The last time he saw Haley cry as much as she did last night was the day of her mother's funeral. After that, her tears were nonexistent.

"You okay?" he questioned as he watched her walk lifelessly towards her suitcase on the floor.

"I'm fine," she answered lowly. She placed the last of her clothes into her luggage and zipped it up. Then she paused for a second to fight away the tears again.

"If you want to stay a little longer to resolve this, you can stay," her father stated. "I can go back to Tree Hill and take care of your rental problems."

Haley shook her head. "No, I don't want you to do that, dad."

"Haley, you don't get to decide that anymore," he stated. "I'm going to pay for your rent and that's final." He turned around to grab his shoes from the living area and said, "It's not like you have a job to rely on anymore. It's impossible to find one that will pay for everything this close to your rent. "

She sighed deeply and stood up from the floor. "I'll find a job that will," she stated.

"Where? Here or Tree Hill?" he asked curiously. "I don't think there's another job that will pay you on the spot like your latest one."

"Dad," she complained.

"I'm only being honest with you, Hales. Once I pay the rest of your rent, then you can work your ass off for the money," he replied, slipping his feet inside his brown shoes.

Haley groaned, knowing that she wasn't going to win this argument and picked up her suitcase. Her father was right. It was way too close to her rent date. There was no way she could find a job that could pay her enough money in time. The only solution was to accept her father's offer. Even if she didn't verbally say it was okay, it was the obvious answer. But it was going to be the only time she'll accept his money. _Last time._

"Do you want to eat breakfast before we go?" he asked.

"I don't have an appetite," she answered. "You can. I'll just head off before you. My car's here anyways," she added.

"I figured that was yours," he stated. "But why do you have a piece of card board hanging on your rear view mirror?"

Haley lifted her eyebrow and smiled a bit. "It's a long story," she said. She dragged her luggage down the little hallway to the door. "I'm going to head out, I'll meet you back in town," she stated and opened the door.

"Wait," he called out. Pulling out his wallet, he handed her some money. "For gas and food if you're hungry."

"Thanks," she smiled. "Bye again."

He nodded and watched as his daughter closed the door behind her. Haley placed the money into her pockets and continued walking down the hall. She couldn't help but think about the day Nathan chased her down these very halls. She remembered being scared of him. The fear of getting caught. The panic that occupied her body. Taking picture after picture. Tripping on her shoe lace. And running away from him. It was funny and sad to think about it. That was the start of everything that happened between them.

Once she reached the elevator, it opened, revealing none other than Nathan. They both looked at each other, stunned by each other's presence and grew tense. At first, Haley was hesitant to walk in but then she eventually stepped inside.

Both of their throats became dry. Nathan quickly glanced at her suitcase. It was obvious that she was leaving soon. If he wasn't overwhelmed with anger, he would've cared. But the fact that she lied to him kept running through his head over and over again. He was cold. Almost ice cold. _Eleven floors down was a pretty long trip. _

She started rocking forward and backward to distract herself from the awkward energy between them. Then she slowly glanced at him and observed his expression. He was definitely still mad at her. She wasn't surprised though, she lied to him after all.

"Nathan," she finally spoke. He refused to look at her. "Can I say something?" she asked.

He didn't respond. His eyes were glued to the glowing numbers in front of him. She took that as a no, but continued to talk anyways. So she swallowed the lump in her throat, played with the sea shell necklace she was wearing and began.

"In the beginning of our arrangement, I never thought you'd ever fall for me. Your heart still belonged to Rachel. She was beautiful, elegant and relaxed. I can never compare to her. I wasn't drop dead gorgeous or elegant. I'm okay and clumsy. I always thought you were cold and bitter by birth, but when I saw how sad and heartbroken you looked all those days . . . it made me realize that you weren't. You were just heart broken and lonely. So I comforted you and hoped that I could make you smile again. And I never expected to actually fall for you," she said. Nathan didn't really show it, but he was listening carefully. "Then you told me that you admired me for being happy even if I was living an unfortunate life. And you called me your sister. It hurt when you said that, but I accepted it. I wanted to stay by your side even as a sister. It was like you actually appreciated my company. You appreciated my lifestyle. And I just couldn't tell you the truth. I never thought I had to from the way we started out," she stated.

"But we got closer," he stated. She looked up at him, surprised that he actually spoke. "You had many opportunities to tell me. You could've told me the day I apologized to you and brought you out to get ice cream. What about during the thunder storm? And the lake, what about then?" he questioned, glancing at her with furrowed eyes. She didn't respond. Instead of looking him in the eye, she looked down at her feet, trying her hardest to hide her tears. "But you never did," he continued. "Is it because you couldn't trust me? Was it because of that?"

She lifted her head up with watery eyes and shook her head. "No, it wasn't that," she replied. "It was because I wasn't able to trust myself," she cried.

Nathan could feel his heart racing at this moment. He was nervous, scared and angry. Looking at her, he said, "When I realized that I was falling for you, I thought I was going insane. You weren't the type of girl I'd ever see myself with. You were stubborn, witty and obnoxiously outgoing. And it was hard to have you around especially at the time when I was struggling with my feelings for Rachel. I was hurting for a while until you decided to break the rules. You comforted me. You made me feel better. You made me less miserable. You made me believe that someone actually wanted to be with me either as a sister or a friend. And I thought that we were being honest with each other this whole time. I told you about my past and how it felt to be kept away from the rest of the world. I trusted you, but you didn't trust me."

"Nathan, it wasn't because I didn't trust you. It was because I was afraid that you'd lose all your appreciation for me. You admired me as a poor girl and I just thought that if I told you that I wasn't really poor, you'd change your perception of me. Once my feelings for you grew, I was scared to tell you. I knew you'd kick me out because I had a family with money who could've helped me. But I wanted to stay by your side. I didn't want to leave you," she cried, feeling her chin tremble.

Staring at her with eyes full of fury and pain, all he wanted to do was hurt her. "You knew I'd kick you out?" he asked, roughly. "You really thought I'd be that cruel to you for telling me the truth? What am I to you? A soulless man?" he questioned again, this time with his jaw clenching from anguish. "I would've been okay if you told me the truth. Things wouldn't be this way if you told me the damn truth!"

"I was scared of this," she said quickly, tears welling up in her eyes. "I never thought I'd have to tell you since you were leaving anyways. So I just never said anything. We were both leaving, so it wasn't going to matter."

Nathan furrowed his eye brows at her. "So you were planning on never telling me anyways? You were hoping I'd leave so you wouldn't have to suffer anymore, right?" he asked roughly. He could tell that he was hurting her with his angry tone. And that's what he wanted to do. "You're nothing but a selfish, spoiled girl, you know that? You only thought of yourself. You reached a multitude of highs and lows to get what you wanted. You wanted to prove something to your father by deceiving other people in the process."

"Nathan," she began, fighting away the tears that kept coming. "I know what I did was wrong. This whole blackmailing arrangement and forcing you to give me a job. Making you feel uncomfortable and confused. Lying to you. I'm sorry for all of it. I did all of that for my own selfish purposes. I had complete control of that, but I didn't have complete control of how I felt for you. I wanted to protect you from harm. I guess it didn't work out that well. So I understand if you hate me, but I . . ." she paused and looked at him sadly and intensely. "_I love you_," she stated. He looked at her, startled by her words and closed his eyes tightly to beat the pain underneath his chest. "I wish that things didn't turn out this way."

The elevator finally stopped and opened. "I wish it didn't either, but it's too late to change things now," he said coldly and walked out of the elevator, leaving her there to weep some more.

**

* * *

**

Haley and Nathan spent the next several days moping over each other. Both still in evident pain from their last encounter. It was a very sad sight for their friends and family to see them this way. While Nathan was trying his best to focus more on work, Haley was locked in her apartment with nothing to do.

Her father finally paid for everything that she owed Chancelor and gave her extra money to live off of. She didn't put it to use though. She rarely went out, bought food or clothes. All she did was keep it in a little box with the money she received for working for Nathan. Money didn't matter to her anymore. It had no meaning except deceit.

Sometimes Brooke and Lucas would visit her now and then, but it was miserable. Haley was obviously mad at them for telling her father where she was. If they hadn't said anything, maybe she would've had a chance to tell Nathan herself instead of Rachel. But unfortunately things didn't work out that well for her. She wasn't sure if she could completely forgive her best friends for what they did. It really didn't matter to her. She couldn't really focus on anything lately.

On stormy nights, Haley would cook mac and cheese because it reminded her of him. Sometimes she even bought herself some ice cream and watched the sports channel even though she wasn't a big sports fan. She'd even wake up early in the morning to clean her house over and over. She had no job and no man to love. There really wasn't much to do anymore.

Back in Charlotte, Nathan would wake up in the morning expecting to smell the sweet scent of special pancakes and bacon, but when he'd enter the kitchen there would be nothing there. Not even a person. And it was depressing to realize how empty the house had become since Haley left. He no longer heard airy snores from down the hall. He no longer heard washing machine doors slamming in the morning or greeted someone after a long day at work. It was lonely and he was beginning to miss having her around despite her lies.

He lay sprawled on his bed at seven thirty in the morning, watching the fish tank across the room with the fishes Haley bought him. He kept watching and gazing at it. And he couldn't stop thinking about her every time he glanced at it. He remembered how happy she was when she showed it to him and how mad she was when he was rude to her. It made him wonder if his decision to kick her out was the right one. He wasn't thinking clearly when he did that because he was full of anger and pain. It was starting to irritate him. His decision to officially end his friendship with Rachel was easy because he knew it was the right thing to do. But he didn't think that when he pushed Haley out of his life. He felt like he had some unfinished business.

Still lying there, unable to move, he heard someone knock on his door. He lifted his head up from his pillow and adjusted himself to where he could peek over his balcony. He saw someone outside, but he couldn't quite see their face. And so they knocked again. He rubbed his eyes and climbed out of bed lazily. He grabbed a shirt to put on and went downstairs to answer the door. Glancing out the window, he realized it was Jake. He sighed deeply and opened the door for him.

"Hey cousin," he greeted.

Nathan nodded and dragged his feet across the floor towards the kitchen. Jake could tell that Nathan was still having a hard time getting use to living at home without Haley. It would be hard for him to handle too if he had to go through what his cousin had to go through.

He entered the kitchen and watched as Nathan pulled out two water bottles for them. "What do you want?" Nathan asked, clearly not interested in having a conversation with Jake.

Nathan slid the bottle across the counter and he caught it. "I just thought I'd come by. I'm leaving later today for South Carolina. Mom and Billy are back, so I should be heading home."

"Well that's great," Nathan stated coldly, taking a sip from his bottle.

Jake took offense to that and sighed deeply. "Nathan, can I tell you something?'

"You didn't do much of that when she was here," he replied.

"Well just listen, okay?" Nathan avoided his cousins' stare and leaned forward on the counter with his bottle in hand. Jake took that as a positive response even though he looked annoyed, so he continued. "You were right about me wanting to make her happy because I liked her. I wanted her to be able to trust me, but then I found out that she liked you. She really liked you. I couldn't really do anything about it except keep my promise. I wanted to at least do that for her. The moment she told me how much she liked you, she started to feel bad for what she'd done to you."

Nathan groaned at his story. "How long do I have to listen to you?"

"Long enough to convince you that she's really sorry for what she did," he answered.

"Did she tell you to tell me his?"

"No, I came here on my own, Nate. I wanted to let you know that she didn't intend to hurt you. She was afraid that this would happen if you knew. She wanted to stay by your side even as a sister. She wanted to stay with you even if she was risking so much. Can't you at least appreciate her for why she did it instead of thinking of the negative parts? She did it to get away from her old lifestyle, to prove that she could do something for herself without any help. So what if she did lie to you about being wealthy, she is still the same Haley she's always been, just richer," he finished.

Nathan turned to Jake as he finished and thought about Haley's reasons. He didn't really know about Haley's side on this. He was so overwhelmed with everything that he had forgotten about her reasons.

**

* * *

**

Haley lay on her living room floor, balancing a cushioned pillow on her feet with a Cheeto in her mouth. She spent the whole day being lazy and emotionless. Her thoughts were impacted with sorrow and pain that nothing else seemed to matter. She was starting to become like her father and Nathan. Moping after a loss of a loved one was miserable. It was probably the hardest thing any human being could go through.

"Haley!" she heard Brooke call out from outside her door.

The pillow fell on her face causing her to choke on the chip. She quickly grabbed her glass of orange juice to clear her throat and walked over to the door while patting her chest. She swung the door open, revealing her best friend and God daughter.

Brooke glanced at Haley's outfit and hair. It was a lazy mess. Her hair was up in a bun and she wore pajama pants and a graphic t-shirt. It didn't even look like she tried to look pretty.

"You look gorgeous!" Brooke complimented while pushing her way in with Marley's stroller. She glanced around the apartment and noticed the cluttered bowl of Cheetos on the coffee table, an empty drink from McDonalds and a blanket on the floor. "And I see you've also didn't bother to clean up. The last time I saw you, you were cleaning like crazy."

"I ran out of energy," Haley replied as she knelt down to play with Marley.

"Well get some energy cause we're going somewhere," Brooke stated as she walked over to pick up the blanket and pillow off the ground.

"Where are we going?" she asked, fixing Marley's bow on her head.

"Lucas is busy all day at work. His stupid boss wanted him to stay a little bit longer in the office, so I decided to bring Marley to the amusement park."

Haley slowly looked away from her God daughter and turned to Brooke who was cleaning up her mess. "Which amusement park?"

"The one in Charlotte," she replied cheerfully. "I thought it'd be nice to go back to the city and spend the day with my daughter and best friend."

"Brooke, I can't go back there," Haley stated, standing up from the floor to give her full attention to Brooke.

"Stop being selfish. This isn't for you, this is for Marley," Brooke replied as she walked over to the kitchen with the empty cup and bowl of chips. Honestly, Brooke wanted to go to Charlotte for both reasons. Her and Lucas noticed Haley's lifeless behavior in the past several days that they needed to do something to help her out. Now that Haley's rent is paid for, they had to clean up the mess that they created. And Marley was a good reason to visit Charlotte.

Haley sighed, and glanced at her best friend's sweet, charming daughter. It reminded her of the days when her mother would bring her to Charlotte and thought that it wouldn't be so bad to go back for Marley's sake.

"I guess I can go," she replied.

"You don't guess, you're going," Brooke stated as she started washing her hands under the faucet. She applied some soap on her hands and glanced at Haley who was still standing there, doing nothing. "So go and dress up. It's a long ride there."

"Right," she replied lowly and walked down the hall towards her room.

**

* * *

**

Nathan was writing up a few documents when he noticed a familiar old woman walk into his office. He lit up at her cheerful sight and stood up from his chair to embrace his grandmother close to him. She patted him lightly on the back and led them towards his desk. She sat on the couch across from him as he settled into his chair in his desk.

"How are you these days?" she asked, sympathizing with him. She noticed how heart broken he'd been in the past several days. She wasn't quite sure what it was truly about, but she had a feeling that it had something to do with Haley. She hadn't been around lately. Not with Jake or with Nate. And it was possible that something happened between them. She just wasn't sure what it was.

"Um," he began, picking up his pen again. "I've been well."

She nodded and placed her hands on top of her purse. "If only that sweet, charming Haley was still here to cheer you up. She could help you," she stated. Nathan paused before continuing to write and twirled the pen between his fingers. "Where did she go?"

"She went back home," he replied.

"Oh," she said, surprised. "She didn't even say goodbye."

Nathan removed his eyes from his papers and examined his grandmother's expression. He felt bad that he kicked Haley out. She left a pretty good impression on every one in Charlotte. He had forgotten how much it would affect everyone she met in the city. There was his mother, his grandmother, Emily, Jake's mom, Roger, and it was pretty obvious that she left a big impression on Jake as well. She probably even became friends with the bus driver, knowing how many times she had to take it.

"She didn't say goodbye to me either, so what can we do," he replied bluntly.

"Nathan," his grandmother began, noticing his cold behavior. "What happened between the two of you?"

He took a moment to think about the conversations they had with each other before she left. It was all overwhelming and hard to think of without feeling his chest tighten.

"Things just didn't work out for us," he answered.

"Did you two have something going on?" she asked curiously.

"It's a really long story, Gran," he began. "I don't think you'll even like it that much considering what I've done to cause it."

"Tell me."

"I don't think your fragile heart can handle it. It's pretty chaotic. You might go through cardiac arrest again."

She laughed and leaned forward to hold his hand. "Nate, I'm fine. I've been eating healthier and exercising more just like the doctor told me to do. So forget about my heart problems and tell me what's bothering yours. I'd like to know what's been going on in my grandson's life," she stated, patting the top of his hand.

Still fearing another collapse, he hesitated to start the story. So he held his grandmother's hand in his tightly.

"Haley wasn't just a girl that I met in the city," he began. He didn't want get into great detail of their arrangement, so he tried to be a little vague. "She was just a girl who had a little of trouble going back home four hours away. I helped her one day and she never left me alone after that. I didn't really like her that much in the beginning. She was stubborn and outspoken. She was fearless," he stated. His grandmother smiled at the thought of Haley. "We were always bickering with each other. It was never ending. Then one day I realized that I had fallen for her. I thought I was going insane because I was infatuated with a girl like her."

"Because you liked the poised and elegant type," she cut in.

"Exactly," he smiled. "And I tried to fight those feelings away, but they just kept growing more and more every time we spent time together. Then I finally told her, I made my move, but I learned that she lied to me the whole time. So now I here I am," he finished. "I pushed her out and I don't know if I like it that way or not."

Rubbing his hand in comfort, she said, "You know when I was just starting out with your grandfather, I lied to him a few times. Actually I lied to him a lot, she laughed.

"You did?" he questioned surprised.

"Yeah," she smiled. "I made him so frustrated because I would never admit the truth to him. I just had the tendency to lie. But then I saw how much it hurt him. He was so heart broken and cold. So I confessed and apologized for everything I caused him. I thought he'd never forgive me for all the fibs that I told him. I thought he erased me but then one day he told me that he couldn't stop asking himself 'Can I live without her? Can I live without her?' And he said that he couldn't live without me, not even for a second," she finished. "So, ask yourself if you can live without her. Maybe you'll find your answer."

**

* * *

**

Driving back into the town she was born to love and grew to hate was hard for Haley because so many things happened in Charlotte. In a time span of two months, she disliked a man and fell in love with him at the same time. It wasn't often for things to happen that way, but if you were living in the same house as the opposite sex - just the two of you- emotions will go crazy.

They rode in Haley's convertible to the city. This time it was filled with enough gas in the tank. So no more unexpected events could occur.

As they finally entered the city, Haley felt her stomach turn when she saw the tall building that said "Regalien". Brooke stopped enjoying the cool wind against her skin and turned to Haley when she noticed the hotel. Reading her best friend's expression, she could tell that she felt down.

"Let's not go to the amusement park," Brooke stated.

Haley turned to her curiously as she drove and asked, "Why not?"

"What can we do with a baby at the amusement park?" Brooke questioned.

Haley focused back onto the road and tried to think, but couldn't quite come up with an answer. "I don't really know," she said slowly as she glanced at her mirrors so she could change lanes.

"You've been here a while, what are some good places to visit?"

Remembering her nights and days in the city of Charlotte, she thought of one particular place that could probably help her heal from the pain and sorrow she had been going through. Plus, it was a good place for Marley and Brooke to enjoy as well.

"I know where," Haley stated and turned on the next exit.

It took about twenty minutes to arrive to the aquarium. Haley parked in the crowded parking lot and sighed as she glanced up at the beautifully designed aquarium building. She turned to her best friend who appeared very pleased by the sight and Marley, who was sitting in the back, with a very surprised and amazed expression.

"This is perfect for Marley," Brooke stated.

"I knew it would be. Too bad Luke can't be here to spend the day with us," Haley sighed deeply, ashamed that her other best friend couldn't be here.

"He'll get over it," Brooke replied as she climbed out of the vehicle. Haley shook her head at Brooke and climbed out herself. She popped open the truck to grab the stroller while Brooke unbuckled Marley from her car seat. She placed her daughter into the stroller and they both headed off to the amusement park.

As they entered, Brooke glanced at Haley and noticed her gloomy expression. She was still in that unhappy state. She just wished she could fix it.

"If people looked at us, they'd think we're a couple," Brooke stated, hoping to put a smile on her face.

Haley let out a tiny laugh as. "It wouldn't be so bad," she mumbled. "We're best friends. I like having you by my side despite the things you've done. At least I can forgive you."

Brooke was quiet for a while and pushed Marley around in her stroller until they finally made into the dim, water filled museum. There were all kinds of fish and sea creatures that swam in different tanks. It was fascinating and it blew Marley's mind. They could tell that she was enjoying the view of all the beautiful animals in the water.

And that's what Haley hoped for. When she came here with Jake, she was relaxed and calm. It reminded her of Nathan so much. Even if they weren't talking, she still missed him and wanted to keep him in her memory.

**

* * *

**

As Nathan was walking around the hotel with his hands in his pockets, and Emily by his side, he saw Rachel checking out by the desk. He hadn't spoken to her in several days either. He didn't think he'd want to. She was the one who told him about Haley in the first place. He figured that if she hadn't told him about it, then maybe Haley would've had a chance. That moment just went by so quickly that it was hard to completely understand and soak in.

He didn't care to say goodbye or greet her hello. Once he passed her, he quickly caught her attention. She handed her hotel key to the receptionist and continued watching him as he disappeared into a room with Emily. It was obvious that he didn't want to talk to her. Even though she tried to protect him from any kind of swindling act, they still weren't friends – just acquaintances. Nothing had changed for them. But she figured that she messed with something that shhe shouldn't have meddled with. She noticed how miserable he looked for the past several days. He was in pain. Kind of like the same pain she caused him. This was partially her fault. And she felt ashamed for being a part of his misery.

She sighed, thanked the receptionist and walked up to Nancy who had been waiting for her at the revolving doors. She pulled out her sunglasses, placed them on her face and got ready to walk out and fight through the paparazzi.

Nathan sat in the meeting room, listening to everyone talk about schedules, pre-opening teams, training teams, codes, and systems, but he couldn't concentrate. He tried to focus, but his mind would drift off somewhere else. He was exhausted and tired from working so hard, that he didn't think he could focus anymore.

He had more than a month left before he had to leave for Europe. Just one more month and he'd be done with Charlotte for two years at most. And he wasn't quite sure if he was ready for that. There were so many things he was going to miss about the city. The people, the memories, the adventures, the businesses, the restaurant. _And the girl._

**

* * *

**

It had been an hour since they visited the aquarium. They watched a few mini shows of scuba divers playing with the dolphins and fishes in the tanks. They even watched a seal show that really amazed Marley. She couldn't stop wiggling her arms and feet at the sight of the sea creatures.

Haley kneeled down next to the stroller and pointed at the glass window filled with baby fishes.

"Look, Marls, see that fish right there," she stated, pointing at a black and white fish. "That's a mean one. You don't want to mess with those." Brooke glanced away from glass tank and smiled at the sight of her best friend and daughter bonding. Then she turned back to the tank and watched the fishes swim in groups together.

As she continued whispering things to Marley, she felt her phone vibrate in her purse. She stood up and pulled it out, revealing Jake's name on the screen.

"Hello?" she answered.

"Haley," he greeted. "It's been a while since we've spoken."

She nodded. "I know. It's been rough these past several days," she mumbled.

"Yeah, I figured," he replied. "I just wanted to call to tell you that I was leaving soon. This is my last day in Charlotte before I head back to South Carolina."

Haley's eyes widened as she glanced at Brooke who was looking at her curiously. "Are you still here?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Because I'm in town right now. Come see me before you leave," she suggested.

"You're here?" he questioned, surprisingly. "I can't believe you're in town. Where are you? Are you staying the night?"

"I'm at the aquarium with my best friend and daughter. Unfortunately, we're only here for the day,"

"Then we better meet up before my flight," he stated. "Meet me at the Italian restaurant by the Regalien."

She didn't respond immediately. _The Regalien._ She didn't think she could be any where near that hotel without fearing to see Nathan. But Jake was leaving soon, and she didn't want to miss the opportunity to tell him goodbye. Because she'll never know when will be the next time they'll ever meet.

"Okay," she finally said.

"I'll see you there." Haley hung up and sighed, already feeling her nerves working her body.

"Who was that?" Brooke asked curiously as she stepped behind Marley's stroller.

"A friend of mine from here. He wants to meet up at the Italian restaurant near the Regalien."

Brooke's eyes widened. "The Regalien?"

"Near it, not in it," she corrected. "Today's his last day in town and I –"

"Then go," Brooke cut in. She could tell that Haley really wanted to go. Whoever this person was, he really made a big impression on Haley. "Marley and I can stay at the aquarium for a while until you come back."

"I'm not leaving you here," Haley refused.

"Well, where else could we go? I don't want to interfere with you and your dinner date with your friend."

She thought for a second. Then she glanced at her watch and realized that it was later in the afternoon. She was going to have dinner with Jake and she wasn't sure how long that was going to last. And the ride back home was four hours long. The only reasonable solution, for Marley's sake, was to stay the night and leave in the morning.

"We can stay one night at the hotel," she suggested.

Shocked, Brooke asked, "Really?"

Haley shrugged her shoulders. "Since this is the first time Marley's ever been to Charlotte, it wouldn't be so bad to stay the night too."

Brooke literally jumped in excitement and grabbed Haley into a firm embrace. "I'm so glad you're not broke right now, or I'd just die."

Haley lightly pushed her friend off her so she could breathe and said, "Calm yourself, woman. My dad didn't give me that much money so don't expect me too much from me."

**

* * *

**

A few hours later, Nathan finally finished working for the day. The meeting lasted longer than he had expected. They had to take three breaks in between to eat and use the restroom, but it wasn't that long. They had to go back inside the meeting room and continue conversing about the plans for the European hotel overseas.

"I'll send you the e-mails and codes in the morning," Emily stated as she wrote something down on her clip board.

Nathan nodded. "Good. We really need those to get things flowing," he stated as they stood in the lobby.

Emily finished what she wrote and looked up at him. "I will get right on it," she said. "I have to head back home. My fiancé' has a candle lit dinner waiting for me," she bragged.

Nathan chuckled in amusement. "I hope that goes well for you," he stated. "And congrats on the engagement, Em."

"Thanks, boss," she replied. She said her goodbyes and headed out the doors of the hotel.

When she walked out the doors, he noticed the darkness of the night sky. He didn't think it would take all day to work in that room with all those people. He needed a day off. He needed to release some stress. He needed a good laugh.

He reached into his pockets for his car keys but found that nothing was there. He groaned and realized that he must've forgotten them in the meeting room. So he turned around and walked back into the conference room. It was on the floor next to the chair he was sitting on. He quickly grabbed it and walked out the room, closing the door behind him. Once he did, he noticed a familiar woman sitting in the lobby with a baby in a stroller. She was reading something off a magazine to the little girl.

He couldn't quite catch who she was until he remembered that one night Haley's friends came over. That woman was Haley's friend. _If she was here that meant Haley was here too._

Shoving his keys into his pocket, he quickly walked passed the lobby and headed towards the entrance. Looking up from her magazine, Brooke noticed Nathan's figure disappear through the revolving doors. She saw him earlier, talking to Emily and she read the expression on his face. He was exhausted and tired. She knew that he wasn't feeling well.

"Typical," she whispered. "Lost in love."

Back at the Italian restaurant, Jake and Haley were finishing up their meal. She had about two plates of pasta that actually she paid for. It was evident that Haley hadn't been doing well. Jake could tell from the dark circles in her eyes and the puffiness of her lids. Her color seemed to have faded a little too and her cheerfulness was a little less . . . well . . . cheerful.

"He's only angry because he likes you," Jake stated as Haley ate the last of her spaghetti. "Nathan is a really romantic man. Trust me, I know. I was there when he courted Rachel for years. He might not seem like the romantic and affectionate type, but when he gives his heart away, he gives it _all_ away. So it might take some time for his anger to disperse. I know that everything will be fine, because I know how he feels about you. He's fallen for you, Haley," he said. "I'm sure he'll start to understand your reasons. Just don't tell him about our kiss."

"You mean _your_ kiss," Haley corrected. "I never kissed you back," she said bluntly.

Jake chuckled. "I mean _my_ kiss."

She smiled and asked, "Why can't we tell him?"

Jake took a sip from his glass of wine and said, "Because telling someone the truth to ease your own guilt can only cause the other person pain. And we both know that we don't want that to happen to Nathan again."

Realizing that it was very true, he nodded. "I won't tell then." Haley placed her fork on the edge of her plate and sighed deeply. "I'm glad we got to see each other," she said.

Jake nodded. "Me too. I'm glad you came in town today."

"Thank Brooke. She forced me to come here."

"She must be a good friend then."

"Yeah, despite the things she's done, I can't be mad at her for long," Haley replied as she played with the napkin on the table.

"Same goes for Nathan," he stated, leaning forward and clasping his hands together on the table. She looked up at him, aware of the name and waited for him to continue. "I think that since he likes you so much, he can't be mad at you forever. You two don't hate each other, just a little bit of faith was lost."

She slowly moved her eyes back to her plate, unable to respond with something decent and nodded. Jake didn't think much of her response and asked, "Are you done?"

Haley nodded timidly and drank some of her wine. "Obviously," she replied with a smile. "I licked the plates clean."

He chuckled and nodded. He pulled out his wallet to leave a tip, and so did Haley. "What are you doing?" he asked.

"I'm leaving a tip," she answered.

He looked at her confused. "You leave tips now?"

"I have money now, Jake. At least for the mean time," she replied placing a few dollars underneath her wine glass. "Once I have a well-paid job, I'll buy you dinner. So come visit Charlotte or Tree Hill whenever you're free."

"I think I might stay," he replied.

"Huh?"

"While you were gone, I sent in applications for jobs. I got a few call backs," he answered.

"Then why the hell are you leaving, you fool!" she joked.

He chuckled. "My mom and Billy just got back from their honeymoon. I'm going to spend time with them for a while then come move back here later."

"Does Nathan know about this?"

"Not yet but once he sees me strolling the streets on a random day, he'll figure it out."

"Always keeping secrets," she mocked.

"Look who's talking," he joked

She playfully glared at him and threw her napkin across the table.

**

* * *

**

Instead of going back to his empty home, he decided to go to the aquarium. He's been visiting it a lot since Haley left. It helped ease his pain and stress. And it reminded him of Haley. Every time he looked at the water, he remembered the night he held her hand for the first time. Her surprised expression was still clear in his mind and he couldn't stop thinking about it.

People passed by as he stood there, staring at the tank of crystal blue water. He almost looked like a statue; frozen in time. Then he pulled out his cell phone and flipped it to his phone book so he could look at her name. Just staring at the word "Swindler" with "Haley James" written under it made his heart ache. He didn't even have a picture of her in his phone to keep her beauty in his memory.

As he looked up from his phone, he turned to the side and found someone walking around the corner. His chest tightened at the sight of her. She looked a little thinner than the last time he saw but none the less pretty.

Haley walked slowly around the corner when she found him standing there with his phone in his hand. After dinner with Jake, she wanted to come back to the aquarium one more time hoping that she'd spot him there. But she didn't expect it to really happen. It was just wishful thinking. Her expectations were low, but seeing him in front of her eyes again was relieving. He was still alive and well.

She slowly walked over to him timidly, but then she tripped a little bit over her feet. Nathan quickly ran over to her to catch her before she fell. And he helped her find her balance.

"Why are you so clumsy?" he asked, pulling away from her. Haley didn't say anything in response. She was too embarrassed. She just straightened her shirt and looked down at her feet nervously. He noticed her silence and cleared his throat. "Can we talk?" he asked.

She looked up at him and nodded without a word. And so they both walked over to the nearest bench and sat there awkwardly, unable to say anything to break the ice.

They sat side by side in front of the large tank and watched as a Manta Ray swam by the window past the sea coral.

"I'm still upset about the whole situation," Nathan began. Haley looked away from the water and turned to him, curiously. "I'm still trying to get over the fact that you lied to me. It's disappointing to find out that the person you were falling for was lying to you. Not for a day but for months. I thought I could move on from you, but I couldn't. And I asked myself if I could live without you. I asked it more than once. And it turns out that I couldn't."

Haley's eyes welled up in tears and closed them to stop the tears from falling, but one had already fallen down her cheek. He turned to her and noticed that she was crying. "Hey, stop crying," he chided as he leaned over to wipe her eyes. "I hope you didn't cry like this in front of Jake." Haley opened her eyes and looked at him curiously. "Because I don't want you crying like this in front of other men. From now on, you can only cry like this in front of me."

She didn't laugh or smile; she just nodded and looked down at her hands. He pulled away from her and noticed her silence. He could tell that she'd been going through as much pain as he was. It hurt him to see her that way.

"I'm sorry for keeping my wealth a secret," she finally spoke. "I was only thinking of myself at the time. I wasn't thinking about how much you had to give up to please my wishes in the negotiation. You were honest with me despite the fact that I was black mailing you. Then you kissed me and I didn't want to ruin what we already had. I didn't think about how much you had to give up for me. Your pride, your money, your best friend. And I'm sorry for that."

Nathan nodded as he listened to her apologize. It didn't take long for him to say his apology too.

"When I called you selfish in the elevator and a conniver at the house, I was mad. I was so angry that I wasn't thinking straight. I didn't mean it. I was just upset with you. I was disappointed in you. I didn't even get to listen to your reasons. I was wrong for not thinking about how hard it was on you to keep this secret from me," he said. "I'm sorry for being cruel. I want to apologize. I hope you can forgive me."

Haley didn't look at him. Tears flooded her eyes from relief and happiness. Nathan was apologizing to her and she didn't think she'd ever see the day. Wiping her tears, she nodded.

"It was my fault in the first place. If I hadn't fooled you or annoyed you in the beginning, it wouldn't have been this way. So it's okay," she whispered.

Nathan was happy that she forgave him. It was a relief to know that she wasn't pushing him away. So he scooted closer to her and wrapped his arms around her. She closed her eyes at the warmth of his embrace and buried herself into his chest. It felt good to be in each other's arms again.

"I missed you," he whispered.

Her heart began to speed faster and faster beneath her chest. She smiled shyly and looked up. She lowered his chin down and quickly placed a small kiss on his lips. And she hurriedly buried herself back in his arms. Even though it was just peck, Nathan was glad that they could be like this again without any mistakes, secrets, or lies. And so he moved his hand up to her hair and cupped it, holding her even closer to him.

**

* * *

**

"Where were you last night?" Brooke asked, sitting up from her bed next the morning. "You came home a little later than expected.

Haley was sitting by the window with a cup of coffee in her hand and said, "I went to the aquarium."

"What were you doing at the aquarium?" her best friend questioned. She looked to her side and readjusted Marley on the bed. She was still sleeping.

Haley was about to answer her when she heard her phone ring. It was on the side table near Brooke, so she reached over to grab it. But before she tossed it over to Haley, she read the screen.

A grin appeared on her face. "_Jerkface? _Did you two make up_?"_

Haley didn't say anything. She just looked at Brooke with a serious expression and said, "Give me my phone."

"Not until you tell me what happened last night," she said, flipping her phone open.

Haley lifted her eyebrows and stood up from her chair. "What are you doing? Give that back!" she whined as she reached over to grab it from Brooke's hands.

"Hello?" Brooke greeted with the phone up to her ear.

"Haley?" Nathan replied.

"No, this is Brooke."

"Oh, well is Haley awake?"

She pushed Haley away and laughed. "She's busy right now but you can a leave a message. I'll be sure to give it to your sweetheart."

"Brooke!" Haley cried out. Nathan chuckled on the other line.

"Sure," Nathan answered. Haley quickly snatched it out of her best friend's hands and stuck her tongue at her. Then she walked over to the living area for a little privacy.

"Don't mind her," Haley stated. "She's a little loony."

"I don't mind. I just called to ask if you wanted to have breakfast before you leave."

"Brooke and Marley can come too?"

"Of course."

"Okay, I'll see you in a bit," she smiled and hung up the phone. She could finally breathe easy again and she couldn't be happier. She flopped back against the couch and wiggled around in it.

"I heard we're having breakfast with your baby!" Brooke called out. Haley stopped moving around and glared at Brooke who was still sitting in bed. "So stop doing that and let's go."

She chuckled and climbed off the couch slowly. Then she ran across the room towards the bed and jumped on it happily, embracing Marley and Brooke in her arms.

* * *

**What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired! :)**


	15. Lie 15

**A/N: **Hi readers, sorry I didn't get to update last night. Writing a chapter everyday is pretty hard because I have a time crunch and I have to try to think of creative ways to start a chapter and move on from that. **Advice to all aspiring writers,** the beginnings of every story and every chapter of the story are pretty important for the whole series. Because if you can't create a nice beginning then the rest of it will not fall into place like you wanted it to be. That's why it takes me a while to write up a chapter. I write something and I try to continue on with what I have, but nothing even comes to mind as I continue it. So keep re-writing the beginnings and if you can feel that it's perfect and all the scenes after that can be written smoothly without difficulty, keep it! Use it! It's easier that way. I think that's why some people have writer's block because they just stick with one thing and won't think of a completely different way to write it out . So rewrite and revise a lot until it's perfect. :) I hope that's useful advice.

But anyways, thank you all for the wonderful reviews. I'm so glad to hear that you're happy with Naley getting back together. I hope it wasn't too rushed or anything. And I love all the suggestions you have given me. And this chapter will help answer most of your questions. Before I let you go to read the rest of the chapter, I'd like to send out a few shout outs.** Miessa **- I am super duper glad that you loooooohoooooooved this chapter. Tears of joy are always amazing! I'm happy that my story does that to you. I hope that you can cry more tears of joy in this chapter. And girl, I will FB you soon! You have to update me on life. I love youu baby. **Babycakes/Kaitlan**- Oh love! You are so dedicated to my stories, I don't think there's a good enough reply to tell you how much I love you for always being supportive of me. You've been there since ever since I started writing, almost lol. I started out as crap. And I'm so glad that you ended up liking, i mean loving, this story even if you were a bit skeptical at first. I really am so utterly happy to see you reading my stories again. You're completely fantastic. And I LOVE YOU for that Babycakes. **Disuaka znjssiiskz - **Hi new reader! I'm so glad to hear that you loved my story. And yes, Brucas with a child was something different and creative for me because I'm not really a big of fan of either leyton or brucas, I choose whichever but I chose Brucas because I feel like they are a better fit for each other. And adding a child to it made it a bit more interesting.

And to all the rest of the reviewers/readers - thank you again for being so kind. And I wanted to say this a bit earlier. There will only be about 2 or 3 more chapters including a special one left. So I just wanted to let you all know before hand so you can expect it without wondering why it just ended so quickly. I didn't want to drag out the story and make pointless story lines, so it will be ending soon. :( I will write more about that once it gets closer. But I hope you enjoy this chapter. Keep me inspired as always!

I love you all,

_Annie_

* * *

**Chapter 15 "Lie 15"**

Marley reached over to grab a piece of bacon from her mother's plate, but Brooke removed it from her grip and gave her a strawberry instead. She watched Marley chew on the red fruit before glancing up to see what the awkward couple were up to. Haley was sitting closest to the wall while Nathan sat at the edge. It was obvious that having Brooke around was uncomfortable for them. Or they just didn't want to act sweet and cutesy in front of her. Haley knew how Brooke reacted to things like this. And she didn't want to hear it.

After scarfing down her cream cheesed filled French toast, Nathan noticed some cheese on her lip.

"You have something right here," he pointed out.

"Huh?" Haley replied, confused, while touching her face in the process.

Nathan rolled his eyes and reached over to wipe it off himself. She was stunned by his touch and glanced at Brooke who was grinning from ear to ear. She glared at her best friend and lightly pulled Nathan's finger away from her lips and cleaned it off herself.

"Thanks," she replied. As she wiped it off, she glanced at Nathan's plate of food and asked, "Are you going to eat that?"

"Is it possible to just eat off your own plate?" Nathan questioned.

"No," she smiled. "So can I?"

Nathan chuckled and handed her his food. She grinned and picked up the couple of bacon strips he had and his waffles. Watching her as she placed a piece of bacon in her mouth, he thought about how much he missed moments like these. He went days without seeing her scarf down food, her glares, her insults, her laughter, her clumsiness or hearing her snore in the middle of the night. And it was probably the worst time he had to go through. All he wanted to see was her presence in his house. She made it cheerful and lively. And he really wanted to have that same positive energy again.

Haley swallowed a piece of her waffle and stopped when one accidentally got stuck in her throat. She started coughing and quickly grabbed a glass of water. Brooke was oblivious to it. She was so used to her best friend eating so fast, that times like these weren't really anything to worry about. But Nathan, on the other hand, grew a little concerned.

"Eat slowly," he ordered and rubbed her back so she could clear her throat.

Brooke looked up from her plate of hash browns, clearly pleased by their cuteness and noticed her phone ringing. She placed her fork down on her plate and picked it up.

"Hello?"

"Brooke, where the hell are you? I came home last night and you weren't here. I wake up this morning and you still weren't here," Lucas answered, already antagonizing her.

Brooke sighed deeply and gave Haley a look that meant it was Lucas.

"We're in Charlotte, babe. We were held back. Haley wanted to meet up with some friends and we didn't want to be on the road at night with Marley, so we stayed the night."

"So you're coming home soon?"

"Yes, Lucas. We just have to finish our breakfast and we'll be on our way," she replied, hearing Marley whine a little. So she turned to her side and fed her a little bit of her potatoes. "So calm yourself down and wait for us. We'll be back by this afternoon."

"Better."

"Bye, I love you."

"I love you too." She smiled and closed her phone.

Finishing her food, Haley looked up and asked, "Is he worried?"

"He's just being Lucas. We have to go home soon though," Brooke replied.

Nathan drank some of his orange juice and listened to their conversation. He really didn't want Haley to leave again. He wanted her to stay. He only had a month left and it would be a shame to not be able to spend the rest of his time in America with Haley. He'd just regret it. So he glanced at her as she reached over to grab something off Brooke's plate and ate it.

"Stay with me," he said, placing his glass down on the table.

"Huh?" Haley responded, her mouth full. Brooke looked at him with furrowed eyes. "You want me to stay?"

"I don't want you to leave, that's for sure," he replied.

Haley looked at him like she was a deer in headlights then glanced at Brooke who was waiting for her reply.

"I have to bring them back home and I still have my apartment in Tree hill."

"Then bring them home and come back here. Live with me," he suggested.

Haley lightly moved her eyes away from him and started playing with the crumbs on her food with her fork. She was a little surprised by his request. She really did want to stay. Then again, her best friends were still going to be four hours away from her. She would be okay with that, but she wasn't sure how Brooke and Lucas would think of it. So she glanced up at Brooke who seemed pretty pleased and impressed by his offer.

"I don't know," she said.

"It's not like you haven't lived with me before," he replied.

"But our relationship was different then," she stated, glancing at him. "We're together or whatever now. Besides, my best friends live in Tree Hill. And I'm not sure how-"

"Just stay here, Hales," Brooke cut in, already tired of them talking about it. "I know you want to stay. Lucas and I can take care of ourselves. Be with him, he's handsome anyways," she smiled.

Haley scoffed at her best friend interrupting their conversation and glanced at Nathan. "He's not that handsome," she stated. He glared at her comment.

"So just move out of that horrendous apartment complex and stay here in Charlotte. It wouldn't matter if you stay or not. You'll be back here anyways. Since you don't have a job, you'll suffer again with your rent, only to return to the city for help," Brooke stated as she placed a fork full of food into her mouth.

Stunned by her explanation, Haley rethought her answer. "I guess you're right." Nathan waited impatiently, feeling a positive answer coming soon. And he watched her carefully. "So you and Lucas won't mind?" she asked.

"Pshh, I lasted without you for one and a half months. I think I could do it again," she replied. "Besides, I know you'll be fine this time."

"And Lucas?"

"He wasn't even worried when you left. He knew you'd be okay even if you didn't have money."

Haley nodded and didn't say anything after that. Nathan expected to hear a yes, but she wasn't answering his question. It was starting to irritate him. But he knew that she was stalling on purpose.

"So?" he asked.

She looked up from her plate and looked at him, as if she was waiting for him to ask her something. "Hmm?"

"Are you going to stay?"

"Oh," she smiled and turned away. "We'll see."

"We'll see? I don't have much patience left," he said.

"Well then get some," she retorted as she grabbed the menu and glanced at the items.

"I ran out ever since I met you."

"Then maybe I shouldn't stay," she muttered and focused on something on the menu. "What if I order the Country Breakfast?" she asked.

Brooke giggled at Haley and turned to give Marley another scoop of food. Nathan sighed and pulled the menu away from her. Shocked, she glared at him playfully.

"Stop looking at food and answer my question, Haley."

"Always demanding and never considerate," she mumbled. "Don't you have one more week left anyways? Why would I stay when you'll be leaving soon?"

"Because I have one more month left. And I want to spend it with you," he replied.

**

* * *

**

"You think Nathan will know?" Deb asked as her and her mother-in-law sat in the dining room together.

"That you and Dan are separating?" Grandmother asked as she sipped from her cup of tea. Deb nodded. "He will eventually. You're going to have to tell him soon."

"I'm afraid of how he'll react. He's already stressed out over the business," Deb replied, wearily. "Just imagine how he'd feel about this."

"If only I could've spoken to my own son sooner. Your relationship wouldn't be this way," the elder woman sighed. "Did you know that Nathan told Dan that he'd take over the business in Europe if he stayed here to spend time with you?'

Deb eyebrows lifted as she placed her cup of tea down. "I didn't know that."

"Well he did. I think he knows that you two need to be together. Maybe this will help your relationship a bit."

"But I'm the one who wanted to separate. I feel like work has become so much more important to Dan than his own family."

Grandmother sighed, and pulled her cup of tea to her lips and sipped. She knew something like this would happen. Dan working day and night, flying from state to state, country to country, without even seeing his wife or child's face was pretty hard to deal with. Especially for Deb. It almost felt like their marriage didn't exist since he wasn't there most of the time. And it was heartbreaking to dear that Deb wanted to separate from him for a while. Maybe it's what they needed. He wasn't around much, so it wouldn't even make a difference.

"I know, I know. But since Nathan will be gone for two years, Dan will come to his senses and realize what he's lost."

"I don't know," Deb replied, holding the handle of her porcelain cup. "I feel like things have changed so much through the years. I'm not sure I'd feel the same way when he returns."

Her mother-in-law nodded and grabbed a biscuit from the basket. "Well, we can't hide this news from Nathan. We have to tell him soon."

"Don't worry I will. I'm just scared for my own son."

"I understand."

**

* * *

**

Haley looked around her room, wondering what she was missing and walked over her luggage to grab the picture frame off her desk. It was a picture of her parents and her on the beach. She sighed and caressed the outline of her mother's beautiful face.

"I'm going home, mom," she whispered and hugged the picture to her chest. Then she turned around to stuff it into her suitcase.

She packed everything that she needed for the city – everything except her furniture. Instead of bringing it to Charlotte and spending so much time moving it there, she gave it to Lucas and Brooke to keep or to sell. It made things easier to handle so she could go back to the city smoothly.

"Do you want to keep your dishes?" Brooke called out from the kitchen.

"Um," Haley began as she placed a pair of jeans into her luggage. "You can keep it. Nathan has plenty at his house."

"Alrighty," Brooke replied as she started removing the few dishes Haley had out of the cupboards.

As she zipped up the rest of her belongings – pictures, underwear, clothes, tooth brushes, and other useful essentials- she heard a knock on the door. She quickly jumped up on her feet and jogged up to the door. She walked past Lucas and Brooke up front and swung the door open, revealing none other than Chancelor.

Peeking through the entrance, he noticed Lucas packing things up into cardboard boxes and Brooke wrapping dishes in bubble wrap. "What is going on here?"

"We're . . . . uh . . . rearranging things," Haley smiled as she looked at Chancelor's outfit for the day. It wasn't his usual Hawaiian palm trees attire. Instead it was a short sleeved old navy button up shirt and a pair of blue jean Bermuda shorts. It helped camouflage his gut. But he still looked like the same old Chancelor.

"It looks more like you're moving out," he mumbled, browsing around her nearly empty apartment.

"It's because I am," she smiled.

"Huh? Where are you going?" he asked, surprised by her quick answer.

"I'm moving to Charlotte. I've already paid my month's rent, thanks to my father, so now you don't have to deal with me anymore. No more lies, no more conniving. It's no more."

He started scratching his head in confusion. "But," he began. "You're the only person in the building who gives me free food. You can't leave."

Haley rolled her eyes in amusement. "It's been decided already. You can ask Jeremy next door for food. He's nice."

"He's gay," Chancelor answered curtly.

She laughed. "He's still nice. Maybe if he bakes cupcakes, he'll offer you one if you're nice enough. I came over all the time and he gave me free cupcakes."

Chancelor groaned as he noticed the can of peanuts on the counter. He quickly walked past her and grabbed it. "Can I have this before you leave?"

Brooke looked up at him curiously and snatched it from his hand. "That's mine. Get your own peanuts," she said and turned back around to continue wrapping the dishes.

Haley shook her head and walked up to the refrigerator. She could tell that Chancelor wanted something before she left and so she searched for anything that was edible enough for him. There were some grapes, a few cold pizzas, some left over pasta from Brooke's mother and a container of yogurt covered pretzels. _That looks decent_, she thought. So she grabbed it and closed the fridge.

Turning back around, she poked Chancelor from behind and handed him the pretzels. "Here."

"What's this?" he asked.

"Free food," she stated. "I owe you one for letting me stay even if I was a burden."

"You're not a burden, Miss James. You're too likeable to be a burden."

She grinned happily by his response and reached over to embrace him into her arms. The last time she did this, she was begging him to let her stay longer and it wasn't very comforting. But this time, she was leaving and thanking him for being appreciative.

"I'm going to miss lying to you about my sick relatives," she smiled, pulling apart from him.

He chuckled shyly and nodded. "I'm going to miss it too," he stated. "Don't get into too much trouble in Charlotte," he advised.

Brooke and Lucas chuckled. "I think she's caused enough damage there," Lucas stated.

"Lying swindler, anyone?" Brooke questioned.

"Oh shut up, you guys!" Haley whined.

Chancelor stared at everyone, clearly confused of what they were talking about and slowly walked out the apartment with his container of pretzels.

"Sure, leave without a goodbye," Haley stated as she watched him reach the entrance.

"Bye, Miss James," he hollered and disappeared out the door.

Walking up the steps to Haley's apartment, Nathan noticed a short, pudgy man with something under his arm. The man quickly opened the container, grabbed a pretzel and ate it. He furrowed his eyes at the sight and finally reached her door.

"I think a man just stole some food from you, Haley," Nathan stated, looking out the door to see Chancelor.

Haley laughed as she leaned over the counter. "I gave it to him. He liked that I gave him free food."

His eyes furrowed. "You give away free food? No way!" he said sarcastically.

She rolled her eyes at him and said, "I already have my luggage packed and ready. All we have left is to work on my furniture."

"We got this, Hales," Lucas stated. "You can go ahead and leave. We'll take care of the rest."

"Are you sure?" Nathan asked. "We can stay and help."

Lucas shook his head as he taped up the card board box and stood up. "Haley doesn't really have much in her apartment. Just a couch, a bed, some shelves and a television. It's simple. Plus, you guys have a four hour drive on your hands. This will only hold you back."

Haley observed her best friend's expression. He looked a bit sad. It wasn't a surprise to Haley though. She's seen him this way a few times in her life. Even if he didn't admit it, she knew when he was feeling blue. Lucas was her best friend and he always supported her in everything that she did. And he was always protective of her. He was her version of a big brother. She was definitely going to miss him while she she's gone.

She sighed and walked over to Lucas to embrace him tightly into an affectionate hug. "Thank you," she mumbled into his chest.

Wrapping her arms tightly around her, he smiled. "You're welcome."

"But this isn't goodbye," she stated, pulling apart from his embrace. "You guys can always visit me in Charlotte. Go to the amusement park, visit the aquarium, or the Regalien," she suggested. "Just because I'm leaving town, doesn't mean I'm leaving you."

Brooke could feel herself tearing up but she wasn't going to do that. It was going to be tough for her to not see Haley every day, but knowing that she would be with Nathan, it made everything alright.

"Stop being so mushy, Hales. It's getting a little too cheesy," Brooke called out. "Now go! We'll call you later."

Haley skipped over to the kitchen and hugged Brooke from behind, startling her. "Oh, Brookie!" she squealed as she held her best friend tightly to her.

"Make sure you take care of my best friend," Lucas advised as both men glanced at the two girls who just parted.

Nathan watched as Haley turned to Marley who was sitting in her stroller by the breakfast table. "I promise, I will," he said, looking over at Lucas. "There's nothing else more that I want than to take care of her."

**

* * *

**

Rachel walked into the interview room with one of her co-stars from her movie and sat in the cushioned chairs in front of the camera. She wore a black sheer blouse with a tank top inside and a pair of jeans with heels. This was her first interview since she left Charlotte. She hadn't been out in the public because she was still trying to overcome all the events that happened back in North Carolina.

She came there hoping to spend a lot of time with Nathan, her best friend, but was only met with a brutal awakening. She was so excited to be in the city she liked most in North Carolina. It was the one place she felt comfortable and relaxed. But then again, Rachel didn't think about how Nathan felt about their relationship. She wasn't considerate enough to understand his side. All she thought about was to be honest with him, and to let him know that they couldn't go further than they were. And to still keep him around and act flirty with him just made him even more confused. She didn't think of that. She didn't expect that it was hurting him that bad. And it made Charlotte a placed that was less comfortable and less relaxed. So instead of leaving with "I miss you's" and "See you Later's", she left with nothing. Not even Nathan as her friend.

As she answered question after question and having a few small conversations, she was finally asked about the latest rumors about her.

"Was there even a hotel beau in the first place?" the interviewer asked.

Rachel swallowed the lump in her throat when she thought about Nathan – his face during their first dinner, how they walked together to her hotel room, his words when he told her that he couldn't be her friend anymore, him with Haley, him walking around in misery around the hotel, and ignoring her. It was all too painful to talk about or think about, but she had to clear up the rumors. She didn't anyone bothering him or the hotel.

"No, there was never a hotel beau. People say and assume things are true when they're really not. People lie sometimes," she stated, and then she thought about herself. "And I apologize to all those who wanted to know anything about my love life, but there's no one. _Sometimes the truth can be painful_."

**

* * *

**

Haley climbed out of the car and sighed at the sight of Nathan's house. She missed the uniqueness of it and the abstract shapes that it had. She didn't think she could miss a house this much. It felt like she was returning home.

As she stood in front of he house, observing every atom of it, Nathan popped opened her trunk and grabbed some of her baggage. Then he looked up and found her admiring the place. It reminded him of the day she first arrived to his house. Her eyes were wide, her face lit up with a surprised expression. Even at that time, she was already taking his breath away.

"Come on, scoundrel," he stated, walking up the steps to the house. She looked away from the roof and turned to him as he pulled out his keys from his pocket. "You have a few more bags in the trunk, you should get it," he said and entered the house.

"Oh, right," she replied and hurried over to her convertible. She slowly pulled her things out and closed the trunk. Then she noticed her car in Nathan's driveway. She always thought about what it would be like to have it somewhere other than the hotel parking lot. She grinned at the sight of her fake employee tag and quickly hurried to the front door.

Right when she walked into the house, a sudden feeling hit her – it was odd, but comforting. She knew that this was where she needed to be – where she should be and where she was meant to be. After trying so hard to keep her home in Tree Hill, she never thought it would end up being this one.

"How's dick?" she asked as Nathan walked out from the hallway.

He stopped and looked at her strangely. "Huh?"

Haley immediately felt her heart stop for a second. "Don't tell me you forgot about Dick!"

"You mean the fish?" Nathan asked curiously.

"No, Nathan, your penis," she said dryly. Nathan's eyes widened. "Of course, the fish, you freak."

Nathan tried to focus back onto what she was saying and coughed nervously. "Oh yeah him." Haley laughed at his expression and placed her things on the couch. "He's still alive. I feed him every day," he replied.

"You better because that's _my_ fish," Haley stated as she climbed up the stairs to his room.

Nathan watched her carefully and wondered what she was doing. "But you gave it to me!" he replied.

"I was mad at you remember? So I took him back," she responded and disappeared into his room. He grew curious as to what she was she doing, so he followed her up to the stairs.

Haley walked across his bedroom and noticed the dust on his desk. _He was right. He couldn't live without me._ Then she looked at the fish tank and noticed that all of them were still there, even the black and white clown fish she picked specifically for him.

"Hi, sweetie, mommy's home," she mumbled, pointing at the tank.

Nathan entered and noticed Haley bending over to observe the little aquarium. "Speaking to the fish, I see," he stated.

Haley straightened up and glanced at Nathan by the entrance. "Not cleaning the house, I see," she smiled.

"I wanted to leave something for you to clean."

She placed her hands on her hips and tilted her head at him. "So you were expecting me to come back?"

"I was _hoping _you'd come back. And I'm glad you did."

"Well I'm glad the jerk finally forgave me. I wouldn't be here if you didn't," she said. "Thank you."

He chuckled and walked over to grab her hand. "Come on, you need to put your things in your room."

"Again with the demands," she mumbled.

Nathan led her downstairs so she could grab her baggage from the couch and dragged her down the hall. She was expecting to go to the last bedroom but he stopped at the one where Haley wanted to stay in the first night she was here.

"I already put your other things on the bed," he stated.

She walked in slowly and observed the decorations of the room. It had a full bed with layers of blankets on top, a vanity mirror, a complete closet, a curtain covered window that led straight to the pool like the other room. It was painted with a lighter version of sea foam green with black and white portraits on the walls. And the ceiling was pretty high with a unique looking ceiling fan in the middle.

"I thought this room was for people you cared about," she muttered as she jumped on to the bed. She sighed and glanced at the ceiling.

"I thought about it, and decided that I kind of care about you," he replied, watching as she continued admiring the room. Haley couldn't help but blush. Instead of saying it back to him, she grabbed a pillow threw it at his face. She sat up and noticed that he caught it. "Are you going to say it back?"

"Say what back?" she asked, as she climbed off the bed and walked past him.

"You know," he replied, following her down the hall.

"I'm kind of hungry. Do you still have Ramen noodles?" she questioned, as she walked into the very familiar kitchen and opened his pantry.

Nathan realized that Haley was doing this on purpose again, so he didn't bother to continue with her little game. Instead, he lightly pulled her away from the pantry and searched for the noodles.

"You have the tendency to change subjects by thinking about food," he mumbled as he picked up two packs from the box. "You should start going to therapy for that."

"Shhh," she glared at him and snatched the packs from his hand. "So tell me something," she began as he watched her find the right places for the pots and pans. He smiled at how well she knew his house. It was like she never left at all. "When did you realize that you couldn't live without me?"

"Uh," he started as he sat on one of the stools on the other side of the counter. "The moment you walked out the door," he said, leaning forward to rest his chin against his arms on the marble surface.

Haley turned on the faucet to fill up the pot and looked at him, pleased by his answer. She couldn't help but feel her heart pitter patter underneath her chest.

"I still can't believe you fell for someone like me," she muttered as she turned off the faucet to place the pot of water onto the stove. She turned up the heat and turned back around to face him. "I was obnoxious and annoying to you. You've must've gone crazy."

Nathan reached over to grab one of the packs and opened it for her. "I did. You have now idea how many head aches I got thinking about why I liked you. That's why I wanted to avoid you for a while."

He handed her the pack he tore open for her and she placed the noodles into the boiling water. "So what did you figure out?" she asked.

"Figure out what?"

"What you liked about me," she answered, grabbing the other pack and dropping the noodles inside. Then she poured the seasoning over it.

"I can't really tell you exactly what I liked," he answered hesitantly as he watched her grab the cover and place it over the pot. "I just like _you_."

Haley nodded as she threw the empty packages away. He noticed that Haley wasn't really saying anything back to him. She was always stalling so he grew curious and asked, "What did you miss most about me?" he asked as he jumped off the stool and walked around the counter.

"Um," she began, as she grabbed a paper towel from the roll and wiped the counter. "Your smile," she said, avoiding his eyes.

He grinned. "And?" he questioned, leaning against the counter beside her.

"The way you dress up in suits in the morning."

"And?"

"Your kindness," she said.

"And?"

Haley looked up and glared at him. "Why do you keep saying _And_? Stop it!"" she retorted.

He chuckled. "I'm just wondering."

"I missed everything, okay? You happy now?" she questioned.

"Almost," he replied and leaned over to kiss her on the cheek. "Now I am." Then he turned around to check on the noodles.

She was stunned by his surprise kiss and grazed her fingers across her cheek where he planted his lips. She smiled happily to herself and turned to Nathan by the stove.

**

* * *

**

Nathan and Haley spent the first couple of days in bliss. They went out on their first official date and ended up just staying at home, watching a movie and eating popcorn. Haley would cuddle up to Nathan with a blanket over them and he'd have his arm wrapped around her shoulders. Although he was packed with so much work at his office, he didn't get as stressed out as he used to be because he was able to come home to a lively woman waiting from him. It felt good to finally be able to have her around without pain or lies anymore.

"I'm thinking of searching for a job while I'm here," Haley stated over the phone as she cleaned the windows to the pool

"You don't need a job, you got me," Nathan replied as he examined a few documents on his desk about the occurring project in Europe.

Haley groaned. "What do you think I am? A gold digger?"

"You were at first," he smirked.

"I had intentions back then. And you know how I don't like having things given to me," she said, spraying a bottle of Windex onto the glass. "I want to work."

"You're always being difficult.'

"I'm always being fair," she stated.

"Are you sure about that?"

Haley stopped wiping the glass and made a face. "Don't you dare say anything about the Haley debacle!"

He chuckled on the other line and picked up the envelope with the floor plan again. "I'm still mad over that."

"Then get over it!" she retorted. "It's annoying me how you keep bringing it up."

"I can't," he smiled. "It's too hard to move on from."

"Then what can I do to make you forget about it?" she asked, continuing to clean all the dirty spots on the window. He didn't say anything in response. He wasn't really concentrating on the conversation anymore. He was zoning out on his work.

"Nathan?" she questioned. "Hello?" She pulled her phone away from her ear to check if they were cut off but instead, found that her father was calling her. She groaned. "Jerkface, my dad's calling. If you don't respond now, I'm hanging up on you."

Nathan quickly focused back to their conversation and said, "Sorry, I was reading something."

"It's okay. My dad's calling so I'll just see you later," she stated.

"Okay," he replied.

"P.s. don't keep me waiting again," she stated before she ended their conversation. He chuckled and looked at his phone only to see that she hung up on him. He shook his head and returned to his work.

Her father was still calling so she answered it.

"Hey dad," she greeted.

"Hi, sweetie," he replied. "I just wanted to call about a job offer I'm giving you."

"Job offer?"

"Yes, it's here in New York. I'm willing to give you many photography gigs as long as you send me samples of your pictures," he stated.

Haley stopped cleaning the windows and walked back inside the house. She was thrilled to hear this news but she was hesitant about the location. "New York City?"

"Yes, is that a problem?"

"It kind of is," she answered. "I just recently moved to Charlotte. I can't leave now."

"Well there's no rush. This offer will be open for you to take any time."

Sighing, she sat on the couch and said, "This is because I'm your daughter right?"

"That and because I know how you really want to be a successful photographer. This is a good opportunity. So what more can you ask for from someone already had many years of experience?"

"And you'll be paying me? No special treatment?"

"Of course I'll be paying you. It's a job, not a privilege. And no special treatment," he replied. "Maybe a little bit since you're my blood," he corrected.

Haley giggled and thought about Nathan. She wondered what he would think of this decision. "I'll have to think about it."

"Take as much time as you need. I just wanted to call and let you know about it."

"Thanks for telling me, dad," she replied.

"Anytime, sweetie," he replied. "You moved in with that boy, didn't you?" he asked, his tone a bit lower than before.

Haley could tell that her father wasn't exactly proud of her for living under the same roof as a man without being officially together or engaged. "Yes, daddy."

"You're together right? He's not paying you to stay in the house?"

"No, not this time. And yes we're together."

"I hope you understand what you're getting yourself into."

"I do. I can handle it."

"I hope so," he replied. Haley sighed, and they both said their goodbyes before she hung up on him.

She placed her phone on the table and flopped backwards. She was now aware of another issue to deal with. _Leaving._

**

* * *

**

After a long day of working at the office, he was anticipating to spend the rest of the day with Haley. Before he headed back home, his mother called him requesting him to come over to her house for a bit. So he told Haley that he'll be back a little later because he needed to talk to his mom for while.

He sat in the living room, with a tray of snacks on the coffee table and his mother and grandmother sitting across from him. He could tell that they were hesitant about something. They weren't really saying much. They were pretty quiet. Sometime they'd even distract themselves by eating the fruits from the tray or drank from their cups.

"Mom," he began. "What'd you call me for?"

Deb took a sip from her cup and placed it gently on the tray. "I'm not sure how I should tell you this," she answered.

"Tell me what?" he asked curiously. He glanced at both of his mother's and grandmother's expression. Fear and disappointment was written all over them. "Did something bad happen?"

Deb shook her head. "You know how your dad and I have been having marriage troubles because the distance between us?"

Nathan nodded, "Yeah," he said slowly.

"Well, I didn't think I could handle another day wondering what he was doing and who he was doing it with anymore," Deb stated. He looked at her strangely, trying to figure what she was saying. "So I told him that I wanted to separate from him."

"You're divorcing him?" he questioned, stunned by the news. It was a big hit. It kind of knocked out the breath out of his lungs for a second.

"Not divorcing, Nathan. At least not yet," she stated.

Nathan breathed in heavily and closed his eyes from the disappointment. "I can't believe this."

"I know it's painful, but I think it's the right thing for us," Deb stated.

"You know dad's coming back here in less than a month to spend more time with you. That's what we agreed to," Nathan stated.

"I heard that and I'm sorry that you had to hear this," she reached over to place her hand on top of Nathan's. "It's only for the best. We can't keep acting like everything's fine just the way it is."

Nathan sighed and tried to understand his mother's reasons. It was possible that missing his father so much made her exhausted. He didn't want that for anybody especially when Dan barely called in to say I love you or to see how she was doing. Their marriage didn't really exist before and now it won't exist at all.

"Even though it's hard to soak in the fact that you are separating, I'll be an adult and support whatever you choose to do," he stated. "I just want you to be happy that's all."

"'I want to be happy too," Deb whispered. "It's going to be hard, but I'll try to cope with it while you're gone."

"I'll be back sooner than you think," he stated.

"So how's Haley?" his grandmother questioned from beside his mother.

Nathan glanced at her and couldn't help but put on a timid smirk. "Quirky as always," he replied.

"Still sassy?" she smiled.

"Every minute," he replied.

"I'm so glad you two finally were able to reconcile. I think she's a perfect balance in your hectic lifestyle."

Deb looked at her two loved ones curiously, unaware of what they were talking about. She sipped from her cup and placed it on her lap and asked, "You and Haley are together?"

"You didn't know?" Grandma asked, turning to her daughter-in-law.

Deb shook her head. "I always thought she was with Jake. I never expected that she was with Nathan

"It's a long story, mom," Nathan stated as he stood up from the couch. "I'll have to bring her over one day."

"Oh she's been over before," Grandma replied.

"She has?"

"Yeah, she came with Jake one day for lunch. She's such a sweetheart."

Hearing that Haley came here with Jake kind of made him feel a bit uneasy. He wanted to be the first one to bring her to his parents' house not his own cousin. It was his fault though. He waited too long to tell her how he really felt and he pushed her away towards Jake. So it was partially his fault.

**

* * *

**

Haley was just about to walk into the bathroom to brush her teeth for the night when she heard the front door open. She stopped before stepping in and walked out into the hallway towards the door. And there he was, Nathan, coming home from his mother's house looking distressed as always.

"How was your mother's?" she questioned as she approached him.

He loosened his collar and sighed deeply before he looked up and smiled at her. "Let's go out for a drink," he suggested.

"But I was just about to brush my teeth and go to bed," she replied.

"Just come with me," he ordered.

"It's too much of a hassle, but if you insist," she stated.

She could tell that Nathan wasn't really in a cheerful mood and she wanted to do her best to make him happy. So she agreed. He reached out to hold her hand and they both headed off to the nearest bar in the city.

They sat across from each other with shot glasses and a bottle of alcohol in between them. Haley ordered herself some spicy chicken on the side and sat quietly with Nathan. He was a little distant today, withdrawn from reality. She was okay with him trying to collect his thoughts. She didn't want to bother or annoy him. So she stayed quiet.

He held his still full glass of alcohol and looked up at her. "How was your day?" he asked.

Biting off a chicken, she said, "Um, I cleaned the house again as always. You forgot to clean the pool, didn't you? It's full of algae. But I took care of it." He smiled at her softly, and took a sip from his drink – just a sip. Haley on the other hand, downed her shot as if she didn't know it was alcohol at all.

"Anything else?" he wondered.

Haley thought about her phone call with her father. She knew that she couldn't keep a secret from him anymore. She had to tell him the news about her job offer. It wasn't mandatory, but it was available and she kind of wanted it. "My dad called this afternoon."

"Really? What for?"

"He gave me a job offer in New York," she answered, nervous for his reaction. So she poured herself another shot to ease her nerves.

"He what?" he asked a little surprised.

"It's for photography. He said it will always be available to me so it doesn't have a deadline. But I'm considering it."

"Oh," he replied, obviously not happy or interested in it.

Noticing his expression, she replied, "I won't go if you don't want me to."

He shook his head as he took another sip of his drink. "I can't interfere with your ambitions, Haley. You do what you want to do," he stated.

Haley tore off a piece of a chicken leg and observed Nathan's reserved expression and licked her lips to wipe off the sauce. "Did something happen today at your mom's?" she asked, feeling a bit numb. It was clearly from all the alcohol she was mindlessly drinking.

He didn't respond immediately. He thought about what his mother told him and how painful it was to hear it. Then he looked up at Haley who looked interested in what he had to say. "My parents are separating," he said. Haley slowly stopped chewing on her food and placed her chicken down on her plate.

"I should've seen it coming though. They haven't seen each other in months. And my dad is always focused on work rather than his own family. I could tell that it was truly hurting her. But I never thought it would ever reach this point," he continued. Haley listened to him and sympathized with him, hoping she could understand what he was going through. "I must be pathetic for trying to get them back together when it's already too late. I made an agreement with my dad to work in Europe for two years if he could stay here and get back together with my mom. Now, I'm just going to be Europe without getting anything in return."

Haley sighed, noticing how down Nathan was, and got up from her chair to wrap him in her arms. He could tell that Haley was a little tipsy; he could smell the alcohol and hot wings on her breath. But he liked how she was comforting him even if she wasn't all the way there.

"It's not your fault," she mumbled against his shoulder. "At least you tried," she added.

Nathan reached up to wrap his arms around her to thank her for being warm and comforting. As they stayed like that for a few more minutes, he noticed that she wasn't getting up. His eyes furrowed and moved his head to where he could see her face. He heard a light snore and realized that Haley had passed out.

He chuckled, amused. "I came here wanting to get drunk but instead you're the one who's wasted," he smiled.

He gently removed her head off his shoulder and lightly patted her cheek to wake her up. "Haley, Haley," he repeated. She moaned a little, but didn't bother to open her eyes. He sighed deeply and gently placed her on his chair, still holding her hand to keep her still and pulled out the money he owed. He placed it on the table, thanking the restaurant owner and knelt down to give Haley a piggy back ride.

She was heavier than he thought she was. Haley had a pretty petite physique, but she was an extremely heavy eater. Although her body didn't show it, her weight really did. He had to hop up a few times to keep her numb body from sliding down from his back. But he eventually got used to it once he started walking down the sidewalk towards his car. Once he passed a few cars, he heard her mumble something against his back. He turned a little to see what she was doing and felt her moving her face around shoulder until she finally stopped.

"I love you," she mumbled.

It shocked him at first to hear her say that, but he realized that she was drunk and didn't really believe it. "You're wasted, Haley."

"Not really," she whispered, positioning her head where her chin was on top of his shoulder.

He furrowed his eyes curiously. "What?"

"I just wanted you to carry me like I carried you," she said tiredly.

He smiled, remembering that night he was got drunk over Rachel. "Is this pay back?"

"Yes," she answered with her eyes closed.

He chuckled by her answer. "So you really do love me?" he asked, curiously. He felt her nod against his shoulder. "How much do you love me?" he asked, interested in hearing it again.

She released her arms from around him and stretched them out like a bird, scaring Nathan a little bit because she wasn't holding onto him. And she said, "This much!" she cried out.

"Put your arms back around me, you might fall," he ordered. She grinned and wrapped her arms around him again, but tighter, wanting to keep him close. It was quiet for a little bit longer as they got closer and closer to his car. "I love you more," he finally said. She couldn't help but feel giddy inside at the sound of his those three words from his lips. She squeezed him tighter and sighed deeply against his shoulder.

* * *

**What did you think? You like? Keep me inspired!**


	16. Lie 16

**A/N: ** Okay . . . so you all must hate me right? You must be. I think it's been more than three days since I've updated. GUh. So many things just came up and I just couldn't update. It was kind depressed. So I'll spare you all the details. I'm deeply sorry for keeping you all waiting. But I wrote the chapter. It took a couple of days of thinking to pull this chapter off. It's also pretty long. Longer than most of my other chapters. It's because this story is about to end. There's only one more chapter left. And I might even add a bonus chapter if all of my readers are interested in it depending on how you all react to **LIE 17**. In the next update, I will be thanking every single person who reviewed to my story. Thank you for all the reviews for the chapter. I am deeply blessed and so thankful for such amazing readers. I love you all.

And I also wanted to pick a specific song that's perfect for my story. You can read it at the same as you read this chapter, but I'm not sure how it could fit with some other scenes. But I think it's completely perfect for the whole concept of the story. Maybe ya'll could tell me some songs that remind you of my story. lol IDK. I just wanted to do something playful since the story is about to end.

Well the song is called **_Band Aid by Pixie Lott_**. It makes me happy every time I think about it. I hope enjoy the chapter! I love you all for being such good motivation.

_Annie_

* * *

**Chapter 16 "Lie 16"**

It was nice afternoon out. The sun was beaming down mercilessly and the park was crowded with people. It was kind of hard to keep up with Haley too. She was taking picture after picture every where she went. Nathan would try to start a conversation here and there, but she would just brush it off. He didn't have her full attention at all. Her eyes were always stuck behind the camera. It kind of annoyed him and at the same time he didn't mind it either. He admired her for being so passionate about her photography. It almost made him sad to think that she might be leaving for New York soon.

Haley turned to her left and noticed Nathan's saddened expression. She could tell that he was thinking about something that concerned him. It was probably about his parents or the fact that he had to leave for Europe pretty soon. Just thinking about that time made her heart ache. But she didn't want to think about that yet, it was too early to feel depressed already.

She pulled the camera up to her eye and snapped the photo of Nathan's serious expression. He was oblivious to the flash and turned to her slowly, realizing that she had the camera pointed at him.

Letting her camera hang from around her neck, she asked, "Why so lonesome?" She reached over to caress the side of his cheek.

"Nothing," he replied. "I'm just jealous."

She smiled. "Of who?"

"That camera," he replied, pointing at the object hanging down from her neck. She looked at her camera and gave him a strange expression. "You're spending more time with that thing rather than your own boyfriend."

She laughed and poked his cheek. Haley loved it when Nathan got a little jealous over her. "It's okay jealous boy, I'll stop taking pictures of other men."

Nathan's eyes widened. "You have pictures of other men in your camera! Delete them right now," he ordered.

"No, it's art," she refused.

He wasn't pleased with her answer and tried to grab her camera, but Haley turned away. "I don't care if it's art. Now give me your camera!" he demanded.

Haley tucked it into her arms, protecting it from Nathan's grasp and kept turning around as he continued to reach for it. She couldn't help but laugh at his childish ways. He was definitely spending too much time with her. It had been about two weeks since Haley officially moved in. And so far it's been full of bliss and playful banter. They couldn't have asked for anything better. The only thing that really bothered both of them was the fact that they didn't really have much time to spend with each other. A month was a lot of time, but it was also very little for the two of them.

Nathan gave up trying to get the camera and sighed. Haley loosened her grasp around it and continued walking the sidewalks with him. She could tell he was annoyed, so she leaned forward to loop her arms around his.

"Tell me," she began. "What's really on your mind?"

He wasn't quite sure if he even wanted to discuss anything about being apart from her. His chest always tightened whenever he thought about it. "Did you really mean what you said?" he asked.

"What did I say?"

"That you'd stay if I asked you to," he answered.

Haley remembered it clearly. The moment she told him about her father's job offer, a frown appeared on his face. He wasn't too pleased with it. And she knew that he wasn't going to be happy about it. So she shrugged and said, "I don't know," she replied.

"You don't know?" he questioned as they continued walking.

She gently pulled apart from him and looked down at her feet as they walked. He glanced over at her and noticed her body language.

"A part of me wants to go, but then another part of me wants to stay because of you," she replied.

"I'll stay if you ask me to stay," Nathan stated.

Haley looked up from the ground and smiled at him, pleased by his reply, but she shook his head. "I can't ask you to stay," she began. He looked at her surprised. "This is your career, Nathan. You have to go. I don't want you to stop working because of me."

"I would if I could," he replied.

"I know," she stated, reaching up to caress his cheek. "But you can't just quit this job because of me. It will only be the biggest mistake of your life. You're decision has already been made. Mine is optional," she added.

Nathan couldn't help but agree with her. Even though his parents were in the process of being separated, he still had to go. His father asked him to come there way before he made that deal with him. He couldn't back out anymore. He was going to Europe with or without his Dad. Failing to show up for work – especially across the ocean – was definitely not good for the family business. This was what his grandfather wanted before he passed away. He wanted to start a European hotel/resort chain and they were finally doing that. He couldn't say no now, but the thought of leaving Haley behind killed him.

"I wish I could change time so I could do something about this," he stated.

Haley smiled and wrapped her arms around his waist. "I'll send you letters while you're gone," she mumbled.

"Letters?" he questioned.

She nodded her head against his chest. "With lots of lipstick kisses on the paper so it seems like I'm kissing you."

"How many times are you going to do this?"

"Once a week," she answered.

"So I only get to kiss you once a week? Well, that's not very fair," he moped.

"I'll be too busy doing other things, you know," she replied. "I can't occupy most of my time writing you letters."

"What about phone calls? You're going to call me right?"

"I don't know. Your voice is kind of annoying on the phone. So I'll probably call once a month for like an hour."

Nathan furrowed his eyes and counted how many times that would be then he turned to her. "That's only 24 times!" he exclaimed.

"That's definitely going to extend my phone bill for sure," she joked.

"But I like listening to your voice. You can call and talk about anything you want. I won't even have to speak," he suggested.

She chuckled and held him tighter to her. "I'm just going to act like you're on vacation. So don't you dare have an affair with a European girl, or you're dead," she threatened as she poked him in the stomach.

Wincing at her touch, he smiled and cupped her head so he could kiss the top of it. "I don't want you doing the same thing either," he mumbled against her hair.

"I'm _seriou_s," she emphasized.

He chuckled. "You know you're the only one I want," he stated causing her to smile against his chest, happy to feel the warmth of his body against hers.

**

* * *

**

Looking at photos from the wedding, Jake found a picture of Haley and himself dancing on the dance floor. She really looked stunning that night. He didn't think he's seen any other woman look that beautiful before. Even though Jake's been with many many girls in the past, none of them has ever caught his eye like Haley James did.

Even if he knew that she didn't belong to him, he still wanted her to stay in his life despite the fact that she was destined for Nathan. He heard about the news of them getting back together. He was happy for them but at the same time it hurt. The girl he fell for was in love with his cousin. He wasn't going to stress over it like Nathan did over Rachel though. He was stronger than that.

"You two looked really amazing that day," his mother stated over his shoulder.

He turned to the side and smiled, nodding in agreement. "We did, didn't we?"

Cindy observed her son's expression and placed her hand against his shoulder. "You miss her, huh?"

"Yeah, but it wouldn't matter. She's with Nathan now," he mumbled.

"There's someone else out there for you, too. Someone as special and beautiful like her, you know."

"I know," he replied, still admiring Haley's unique beauty in the photo. The only thing that was painful to remember about this night was when she ran off with Nathan chasing after her. He remembered that moment very clearly. When Nathan asked him what was wrong with Haley, he could tell by his cousin's expression that he was deeply concerned about her. That's when Jake knew that Nathan was falling for Haley. He could feel the tension and chemistry between them. He could tell that there was something definitely going on there.

"Are you heading off to Charlotte soon?" his mother asked as he placed the photo back down onto the table.

"Yeah, I just have to pack a few more things before I head down there."

"Have you found a place yet?"

He shook his head and leaned over on his knees. "No," he laughed. "I'm still looking. But if Nathan lets me stay at the hotel for a while, then I think I'd be fine."

"Just because your cousin owns a hotel doesn't mean you get special treatment," his mother replied as she took a couple of photos and observed them.

Jake gave her a look. "I stayed there for about two months straight and he didn't mind."

"You should just live there and start paying rent."

He chuckled at the thought and stretched his arms above his head. "I should, shouldn't I?" he replied with a smile. "I'll find a place to stay eventually. But I have to start going to work by next week, so the hotel is all I could manage."

"Try not to bombard him with that news. Call him before hand, so he's not too stunned and rushed to find you a suite," she advised as she placed the photos back down on the stack on the table.

"I'll call him, don't worry."

"Better," she replied. "Anyways, Billy and I are about to go out for dinner. Do you want to come?"

He shook his head and said, "I think I'll stay here. I've spent too much time with you two. You're probably already tired of me tagging along."

"You're my son. I'd never get tired of having you around," she replied.

"Yea yeah. Go spend time with your husband," he ordered, shooing her away. She laughed and gradually walked out of the living room. As soon as she disappeared from his sight, he turned back around to grab the stack of wedding pictures again.

He was happy to finally see his mother smiling again. After his parents divorced, his mother took it pretty hard. It really took a toll on her. She even gave up on love. She didn't believe in it anymore. But when Billy walked into her life, he made her believe that people did get second chances and that love did exist. Billy was a wise man. He treated him and his mother very well. And Jake was glad that his mother was able to find a good man like him. He wished he could be as gentle of a man like him, maybe not for Haley but for someone else who deserved that same kind of generosity and warmth.

**

* * *

**

He stared longingly at Haley across the table as she observed her photos in her camera. She was too busy looking at photos again that sometimes he wished she didn't have such a passionate love for photography. So he stopped eating his food that she cooked for him and lightly kicked her on the leg.

Haley felt him nudge her, but she ignored it and switched to another picture to observe. Then she glanced at her book filled with different photos from various photographers to see what she could do to improve her skills.

He playfully glared at her for ignoring him and moved both of his feet up to tickle her knees. She winced and pushed them away with her hands.

"Nathan, I'm trying to concentrate right now," she stated, flipping another page of the booklet.

He sighed deeply and leaned forward to continue eating from his plate. "Why are you studying that anyways?"

"So I could learn a bit more than I already know about photography. You know there's more to it than just taking pictures," she replied without looking up at him.

"What's there to know about it?" he questioned as he placed a fork full of pasta into his mouth.

"You need to know the history of it. There are so many cameras that can be used to create different types of photos. And you need to know the aperture, the focal points, the depth perceptions and all kinds of things. You also have to be aware of the designs of cameras like Nikon, Canon, Sony . . . "she went on. He looked at her strangely; completely oblivious to what she was talking about and reached over to snatch the booklet away from her.

She stopped talking when she saw him grab it from her sight. "Nathan what are you doing?"

"Just seeing what's so interesting," he replied. He glanced at all the pages he was flipping through. There were all kinds of photos inside that ranged from fruit photography to fashion photography. But the one picture that caught his eye immediately was the nude couple tangled up together in a bed. No clothing – just bare skin, sweaty hair and bed sheets. "What the? There's soft porn in here," he commented.

She looked at him strangely. "What? No there isn't! Give me that," she demanded as she snatched the book back to look at the page he was on. The picture wasn't that bad. They're privates were covered up with white sheets. "This is part of photography. Taking pictures of the human anatomy is very common in this section of artistry," she explained.

"I don't like it," he replied. "Why do you want to be a photographer? Be a cook or something."

"What? Why?" she asked confused, placing her camera on top of the table.

"You're a good cook," he stated, eating some of his food. "See, this is really good."

She laughed and shook her head. "I don't want to be a cook. I like taking photos more."

He swallowed the bits in his mouth and thought about all kinds of things she'd see and experience in that kind of atmosphere. "I just don't like how you'd be exposed to all that kind of stuff."

"What stuff?" she questioned with an eyebrow lifted. "I'm curious."

He groaned. "The nudity," he answered.

"Ahhh," she nodded, amused by his disgusted and annoyed expression.

"I don't want my girlfriend surrounded by naked people while I'm gone."

"Don't worry, bossy boo," she joked. "I'll try to stay two meters away from them," she smiled.

"Stay a hundred meters away," he corrected, pouting as he took another bite from his plate. Haley couldn't help but laugh inside at his childish sadness. So she leaned over the table to grab his face in between her hands and admired his adorable expression.

Squeezing his cheeks together, she said, "You are so cute when you're jealous." He lightly removed her hands from his face, still annoyed by the fact that Haley would still be exposed to naked men if she pursued her photography career. She sighed when she realized that he didn't want her touching him and noticed him eating his food as a distraction.

"What kind of photographer do you want to be?" he questioned.

She could tell that he was clearly upset about the environment of photography and deiced to play around with him. It was entertaining to make fun of Nathan. It's what she loved most about him – he was easy to mock.

"I was thinking of becoming a nudist photographer. A lot of leaf cover ups. A lot body paint too," she replied with a smile.

"Forget it," he mumbled as he quickly set his face against the table. Haley gasped in amusement by his action and walked around the table towards him.

She started poking him in the ribs to make him look up, but he curved his body away from her touch. "You can go to sleep now," he ordered against the wooden table.

Haley glared at him and poked him in the ribs again. "Don't be like that," she pleaded. When she realized that he wasn't responding, she reached over to grab his arm and lifted it over her shoulder so his arm was now wrapped around her.

Nathan realized his new position and felt Haley lean over to kiss him on the cheek. Startled by her lips, he moved his eyes towards her and smiled. Turning more towards her, he removed his arm from around her shoulder and cupped her face gently in between his hands and kissed her quickly on the lips, giving her no time to respond back. Then then pulled away from her and quickly turned his attention back to his pasta.

"You can leave now," he demanded. "Good night."

She was still electrified by his lips but grew annoyed by the sudden change in atmosphere. She slowly turned around to leave but Nathan quickly twirled her back towards him and hugged her tightly into a warm embrace. Startled by the hug, she leisurely smiled and wrapped her arms around him in response. She was overjoyed by the proximity of their bodies and couldn't help but feel the need to stay like this forever.

He sighed deeply, happy to have her in his arms and stroked her hair. "I'm going to miss you so much," he mumbled.

**

* * *

**

In his fancy black convertible, he drove all the way to work thinking about what life would've be like at this very moment if he hadn't met Haley at all. He questioned many scenarios of how things would've been if Haley never got stuck in his hotel parking lot. He would've never gotten the chance to help her with that police man or argued with her about gas money. She would've never met Jake nor took paparazzi pictures of him and Rachel. The past two months would've been depressing. He would've never gotten the courage to walk up to Rachel and end their friendship of years. He would still be aching over Rachel instead of falling for Haley. Nothing would've changed at all. But realizing how much Haley had created a new chapter in his life, he was glad everything in the past happened. He was happier than he's ever been in his life.

Haley James changed him for the better. She taught him about the simplicity of life, hard work, happiness, hope, strength, commitment and love. She taught him all of that in the past few months that he's known her without even having to try. She was original and independent. She was supportive and kind even when he was rude and stubborn. She was that girl that his grandmother said he needed in life. He didn't have to find her on a blind date. He just found her.

With the thought of Haley, he couldn't help but grin as he drove with one arm on the steering wheel and the wind blowing against his face. He turned to the side and remembered the moment she sat up on the chair and started chanting lyrics. It was one of those moments he couldn't forget.

In the middle of imagining life of happiness with Haley, his phone started buzzing. He glanced down at where his phone was and grabbed it, flipping it open to his ear.

"Hello?" he answered.

"Hi, honey," his mother greeted.

"Oh hey, what's up?" he replied, looking at his rear view mirror to see if any one was behind him so he could switch lanes.

"You think you can pick something up for me at the P.O. Box? It's the gifts Aunt Cindy bought for me from Hawaii," she stated. "If you're not too busy," she added.

"I'm not that busy. I'll go pick it up for you," he responded as he decided to take the nearest exit towards their P.O Box. Then he thought that since he had to pass his house to go to his mother's house, he'd bring Haley along with him.

"Thank you, Nate. I'll see you soon," she stated.

"No problem. Love you." They both said their goodbyes before hanging up on each other. He placed his phone back into the hidden slot in between the two front seats and drove towards the mail box.

Back at the house, Haley was watching television, bored to death. She was lying across the couch, lifting her legs up to see how far she could hold them there when she heard her phone ring. She rolled to the side and fell off the couch before she reached over to grab it from the table.

She glanced at the screen and noticed his name. She quickly flipped it over and pulled it up to her ear. "Hello?" she answered, as she pushed herself up from the floor. While she tried to get up, she slightly hit her elbow underneath the table. "Ow!" she cried.

"What was that?" Nathan questioned as he reached in to grab the package from his mother's P.O. Box.

"Oh nothing," Haley winced as she finally settled back down on the couch. "No need to worry about it."

"I'm telling you Haley, our neighbors are going to start thinking that I abuse you," he stated. "So stop getting your self hurt, clumsy girl."

She pouted at the sight of her elbow, noticing the light scratch on it and said, "I'll try my best, bossy boy. Why'd you call?"

He put the package under his arm and headed back down towards the parking lot for his car. "I'm about to head over to my mom's house. I want you to come with me."

"Did she invite me?" she questioned, hurrying off the couch to look at herself in the mirror on the wall.

"No, but I have to go past the house to get there," he replied. Haley moped at her reflection and licked her finger to push down the cow lick on top of her head. "So I thought I'd bring you along," he added.

"Okay," she answered, unsatisfied by her image. "Do I have to dress pretty?" she questioned, lifting her hair up half way but then letting it fall because she didn't like it.

"No, I'm about to be come by," he replied, climbing into his car and setting the package on the back seat. "So at least be in something decent. I don't want to pick you up and see you in your pajamas."

Haley glanced at her clothes and noticed her pig patterned pajamas. Her eyes widened and quickly ran into the hallways towards her room with the phone still by her ear. "Oh, you don't have to worry about that," she lied as she began searching through her clothes for a nice pair of jeans. "No pajamas here!" she exclaimed when she finally found her blue jean pants.

"Okay, I'll be there in a few minutes," Nathan responded. They both said their goodbyes and Haley quickly changed into her jeans. Then she hurried to the bathroom to fix her hair and make up a little bit. Even though she's been to his mother's house once before and had no problem with it, she wanted to be perfect this time because she was with Nathan.

About ten minutes later, Nathan finally arrived to the house and parked in the driveway. He beeped three times so that Haley knew he was already there. She finished applying her lip gloss and quickly grabbed her phone before she headed out to the front door.

Right when she walked out, he noticed something different about her like she fixed herself up a little bit. She opened the door to his car and climbed in. Immediately, he could smell her perfume. He started coughing at the smell and looked at her strangely.

"How much did you put?" he questioned, leaning over to sniff her.

"What? The perfume?" she replied.

"No, your hair, of course the perfume," he said dryly.

"I wanted to smell good."

"It's not like you didn't smell good before," he stated as he continued to observe her. "And did you put some make up on too?"

Haley put on her seat belt and noticed the look he was giving her. "What? I wanted to look pretty," she replied. "A little lip gloss isn't going to do any harm."

He turned away and started the car. Once he started moving out of the driveway, he said, "I think you look beautiful without all that make up."

Haley stopped moving around in her seat and slowly smiled at him for that comment. It was moments like those that made her fall for him even more. It was spontaneous. She didn't have to beg for him to say it. He just said it.

She turned her head bashfully to the side and secretly wiped the lip gloss off with the back of her hand. She thought Nathan wasn't looking because he was too focused on the road, but he saw her from his peripheral vision. Her modesty was one of his favorite things about her. She didn't flaunt her beauty too much nor pranced around bragging about her photos, she was just Haley without a lot of commotion.

Once they finally arrived to Deb's house, Nathan grabbed the package from the back seat and held Haley's hand at the same time up the front door. He never thought this day would ever come – him walking up to his parents' house holding a woman's hand. It was always just him on his own. He should be nervous about this moment, but since Haley's already befriended most of his family, he wasn't.

After doorbelling four times, his grandmother swung the door open wearing her cute, tiny spectacles. Her face lit up when she saw the couple standing at the door step. She was especially happy when she noticed Haley standing there.

"I didn't know you were bringing someone along," she stated, happily. "Come on in."

Nathan smiled entering the house with Haley by his side. They both walked straight to the living room where his mother sat, waiting for him. When Deb noticed that Haley was there, she was surprised. She wasn't expecting a visitor.

"If I had known you were going to bring her along, I would've asked Matilda to make something," she stated.

"Oh, it's fine," Haley stated.

Nathan placed the package on the table in front of his mother and heard a rumbling sound beside him. His grandmother walked in and heard it too. The whole room was so silent that Haley's hungry stomach echoed against the walls.

"Have you eaten?" he questioned curiously.

Haley tightened her mouth and shook her head. "Then we'll set up something to eat," Deb stated, standing up from the couch and guiding her mother-in-law into the kitchen.

Nathan watched as they disappeared behind the door and turned to Haley who was walking towards the wall full of pictures. She smiled at the baby pictures of him at the park with a baseball hat on.

"Were you a baseball fan?" she questioned, glancing at the photo and to the basketball photo.

"No, not really," he replied, walking up to her. "I was put in little leagues even though I hated the game."

"Poor you," she joked then walked past him towards the stairs. "Where's your room?" she asked as she climbed up the second floor. "You have a room here, right?"

"Uh," he began and started following her. She kept moving around as if she was a dog sniffing for her bone. One thing that was so difficult about Haley was the fact that she could never stay still. She kept looking around the halls, wondering where his room could be and it made Nathan a little antsy. "Yeah, but-"

"AHA!" she exclaimed as she opened the door into the room of his adolescent years.

Nathan sighed deeply and followed her inside. He could tell that Haley was pretty impressed with the organization and look of the room. She glanced up and pointed at the hanging yellow airplane from the ceiling and twirled it around. Then she walked up to his shelf with train toys, more pictures, and a Bobcats hat. She snatched it and placed it on her head.

Turning to Nathan by the door, she asked, "How do I look? Do I look a true NBA fan?"

He chuckled and walked up to her to playfully push the bill down. He laughed at the pout on her lips. She pushed the hat back up and climbed onto his comfy bed. She lay on her stomach and grabbed a photo from his head board. Haley smiled at the sight of Nathan in a school uniform and whispered, "How cute!"

Nathan sat at the edge of the bed and watched her intensely. She continued to smile at the photo when she noticed Nathan looking at her strangely. So she placed the photo to her side and sat up on her bed.

"What?" she questioned.

"I like the feeling of being alone in his room with my girlfriend," he stated, moving a little closer to her.

Haley's eyes widened a little bit and removed the hat from her head. "Your mom and grandmother are outside," she stated. "They're going to start wondering where we are."

He noticed that she was about climb off the bed and laughed lightly because of how uncomfortable she as getting. "They'll figure it out sooner or later," he said softly, gently pulling her back.

His hand was now wrapped around her arm, and she looked at him surprisingly. Nathan kind of liked the distance between them and tried to lean in for a kiss, but instead Haley moved her head away when she heard his mother call out, "FOOD!"

"We better go downstairs," she stated, jumping off the bed and tossing the hat at him. Stunned by her sudden escape, he chuckled lightly and headed out the door behind her.

His mother and grandmother placed a plate of fruits and other desserts on the table when he arrived. As usual, Haley was already snacking on the cinnamon rolls. He shook his head in amazement and sat next to her on the couch as she stuffed her mouth with food.

She smiled at him with puffy mouths and he wiped off the crumbs from the corner of her lips. His grandmother and mother noticed this gesture and smiled.

"You two are so cute," his grandmother squealed, placing a cantaloupe in her mouth. "It's a shame that you have to be apart for so long," she added.

"Have you two talked about it yet?" Deb questioned.

Nathan cleared his throat, already hating the subject of the conversation and said, "We're still thinking about it. It's a bit more complicated than it used to be."

"Why is that?" his grandmother questioned.

"I was offered a job in New York," Haley answered. "But it's optional."

"Oh," they both said in unison.

"I'm debating whether I should go or not," Haley continued, placing her food back down on the plate so she could talk without distraction.

"I think from my point of view," Deb began. "You should go to New York."

"What?" Nathan responded surprised. "Why?"

Deb gave Nathan a look. She knew what it felt like to be apart from someone you loved. Her relationship with Dan was the perfect example for their situation. "You know why, Nate. I've been apart from my husband many times a year while I'm left at home missing him day and night. If I had a choice likes yours, Haley, I'd take the New York job offer to keep myself occupied while he's gone."

"That's exactly what I was thinking," Haley stated quickly. "It would make the time move faster."

"But we'll still be apart," Nathan cut in.

Haley turned to him and noticed his concerned expression. "If I don't go, I'll only be miserable living in the house alone. And I don't want to be miserable."

"I don't want you to leave Charlotte, you just got here," he stated.

"I don't want you to leave Charlotte either, but you're still going."

"Then maybe you should go with him to Europe," his grandmother suggested.

Haley's eyes widened at the suggestion and shook her head. "I'll only be a burden to him while he's working," she said.

"I don't think that's a bad idea," he stated. "We can visit all the fancy restaurants. I'll buy you a whole Italian pizza. You can take photos in the park and we'll go on dates at the board walks."

The thought of living in Europe for two whole years with Nathan didn't sound so bad, but he would still be working day and night. Building and creating a new hotel and resort chain was hard work. Haley was pretty sure that he wouldn't have a whole lot of time to spend going sight seeing. The purpose of staying there for two years was to focus deeply on the difficult stuff until it was done. And once all of that was done, he'll be back in Charlotte.

She shook her head. "It sounds tempting, but I don't think I could do that," she said.

"Why not?" he questioned curiously.

"I just can't," she replied vaguely. She didn't say any more than that which made him a bit annoyed. He didn't want to discuss this in front of his mom and grandma anymore so he grabbed Haley's hand and stood up from his chair.

"I have to go back to work later, so we should start heading out," he stated.

They all looked at him strangely and nodded. "Okay, then we'll talk later?" Deb replied.

He nodded, hugging them all goodbye. Haley did the same before they both exited the house towards his car. Haley could tell that Nathan was clearly upset about something. It had to be about her answer to his grandmother's suggestion.

As they began driving back onto the highway, Nathan asked, "So why can't you come with me to Europe again?"

"I didn't give you a reason, Nate. I just said that I couldn't," she replied.

"Then give me a reason because I'm curious. Is it because I'll be working the whole time? I'm the boss, I can spare some free time for you," he stated.

She shook her head. "It's not only that," she said.

"Then what is it?" he asked roughly.

She swallowed the lump in her throat before answering. She didn't want to face him because he was too busy focusing on the road. So instead, she stared at her hands and said, "Deciding to go with you to Europe would make me regret a lot of things for my future. I was offered a job in New York for photography, Nathan. That could be the stepping stone to my career in film. That's something I've always wanted to do. If I go to Europe then I'll be using up time that I could be using to become an accomplished photographer," she said. She turned to the side and noticed his expression. She could tell that he was a little hurt. "Don't get me wrong, I don't want to be apart from you for two years, but you'll be so busy working on the hotel and resorts that you won't have time for me. And I'll be spending most of my days walking the streets or sitting in our condo thinking about what could've been. Can't you see?"

Nathan tried to understand her reasons. He really did, but the thought of her living with him in Europe had already sunk in. He loved the idea of having her live in a beautiful home, browsing the markets and learning new languages in a romantic atmosphere. It was a dream to spend time there with the one you loved. But obviously, Haley didn't think of it that way.

He sighed deeply as he switched lanes. "I just want you to live me with me so we don't have to be apart for so long. I want to wake up in the morning with you lying right beside me. I want to have lunches together and dinners together. I want to be able to see your face while I'm talking to you. I want us to stay together. Do I need any other reason?" he replied.

All of those reasons were all of the same reasons why she wanted to stay with him. She couldn't stand being apart from him, but she had to remember that she used to be that independent, hard working girl before she met him. She was responsible for her own life and she was never dependent on anyone else. She might be acting a little selfish, but two years living in Europe without her friends and family and being alone while her love is working wasn't exactly what she wanted.

"All of that sounds amazing, it really does. I think I'd enjoy it, but I can't," she replied. "I just can't."

Nathan glanced away from the road and noticed her expression. He didn't say anything in return and focused back to the road. Haley realized that he wasn't going to respond back so she just leaned over the window sill with her hand under her chin as she felt the breeze pass her cheeks. He never thought a situation like this could be so complicated and confusing at the same time. And he continued to drive.

**

* * *

**

Ever since the visit to his parent's house, he kept thinking about her decision to go to New York and her future. Her ambitions were just as important as their loving relationship. He wanted the best for her and if she didn't want to spend time with him in Europe or stay in Charlotte then he was going to accept that. Seeing Haley miserable was the last thing he wanted for her. He wanted her to be happy and successful. Even though, it hurts to think he'd be a part from her, he wanted her to fulfill her dreams.

He continued flipping through his stack of documents when he heard a knock. He lifted his head up at Emily who gradually opened the door.

"Hi, Mr. Scott," she greeted. "Your cousin is on the line and Miss Gatina sent you something," she stated, walking up to him with a tiny box. Emily placed it on his desk and he looked at it strangely.

"What's this?"

"I don't know. It was sent to the office for you," she replied.

He lifted it up and examined the wrapping on it. "Thank you," he stated.

"No problem." Emily walked out of his office as he placed the little package on his desk. Then he picked up his office phone and pressed the button to answer Jake's phone call.

"Jake," he greeted.

"Hey Nate, what are you up to?"

"I'm busy getting things prepared before I head to Europe in a few weeks," he replied, focusing back on to his packets.

"Oh, you're still going?"

"Yeah, it's part of my job," he replied, not really enthusiastic about it.

"Is Haley going with you too?" Jake questioned.

"No, she doesn't want to go even if I told her that she'll be with me the whole time," he groaned.

"I don't blame her."

"Huh?"

"Haley's still young. She probably wants to do a lot with her life and experience more. If she went with you, she'd be giving up a lot. Two years is a long time, Nate."

"This is the reason why I want her to come with me. I can't be apart from her for that long. I can't even handle being apart from her for a day," he replied, growing slowly irritated by the thought of it.

"Wouldn't she be miserable without her friends and family close by?" Jake questioned.

Nathan sighed deeply, clearly not in the mood to talk about this with his cousin and tried to change the subject.

"Enough talk about Haley," he demanded. "Why did you call?"

"Oh, right," Jake replied. "I got the architecting job over there in Charlotte. My first day is next week, but I have no place to stay. So I was thinking that maybe-"

"You want me to give you a suite until you find a place, right?" Nathan cut in.

"Exactly! You know me so well, cous!"

Nathan shook his head and chuckled. "I'll get Emily to set up a suite for you."

"So you don't mind at all?"

"No, you practically lived here the last two months. This won't make any difference."

"Thanks!" he replied, thankfully.

"Is that all?" Nathan questioned, lifting the little package Rachel gave him.

"Pretty much. I'll call you once I get there next week," Jake replied. "When do you leave for Europe?"

"In about two weeks. I still have so much to do before then."

"Good luck with that cousin. I'll be sure to bid you farewell before you go."

"Thanks, Jake. I'll talk to you later," Nathan stated. They both exchanged goodbyes before he hung up.

He sighed deeply, aware of the little time he had left in Charlotte, and glanced at the decorated box in his hand. _I wonder what this is._ He slowly tore the wrapping off the box and revealed a little note and Fossil watch. His eyes widened by the gift and began to read the card she left inside.

_Dear Nathan,_

_I wanted to give you an apology/going away gift. Since I'll be too busy with movie promotions and other projects, I won't be able to be there when you leave for Europe. I also wanted to apologize for all the pain I've caused you. I know I shouldn't have held on to you when I knew how much you liked me. I guess I just loved the fact that you were always there to admire me. And to add on to that, I'm sorry for ruining anything between you and Haley. I didn't realize how much happened between the two of you. If I caused anything to damage your relationship with her, please forgive me. I was selfish and insecure at the time. But now I've learned my lesson. I'm just hoping that things could be better between us. I wanted to give you this watch so you won't be late for anything and so you could remember me while you're away. I don't want you to forget me. You're always in my thoughts. I'm sorry again._

_Rachel._

He placed the card back down and held the watch in his palm, observing the smoothness of the silver. Expensive gifts weren't going to buy his forgiveness, but seeing that Rachel was really trying her hardest to remain his friend, he thought it wouldn't be so bad to give her a chance. Now that his heart belonged to Haley, a friendship with Rachel wouldn't hurt. They had history together. It would be a shame to act like it never existed. Even though it was a very painful time in his life, he actually had fun memories with her and Jake.

Nathan didn't bother putting it on. Instead, he placed it back into the box and continued working on his paper work. He was going to keep it for remembrance. He didn't want Haley getting mad at him for wearing something his ex-love gave him.

**

* * *

**

After hours of working in the office, Nathan was finally done for the day. He was anxious about going back home. They've been a bit distant since Haley said no to Europe. She was still a bit uneasy around Nathan because she had a feeling that he was upset with her.

Once he arrived at the house, he noticed that Haley was sitting by the edge of the pool. Her back was towards him as he observed her sitting image outside. He closed the door behind him and headed towards the back.

She was sitting there, contemplating whether her decision not to go to Europe was a good idea. There were so many pros and cons in this situation; it was hard to completely make a good decision. As she started moving her legs in the water, she saw a shadow against the pool. She looked up and saw Nathan standing there.

"There are mosquitoes out, you might get bit," he stated.

"I'm fine," she replied, looking back down at the water.

He bent down to roll his pants up and gently sat right next to her. He sighed deeply as he started moving his legs in the water as well. It took a while for them to actually say another word to each other. The tension between them could be cut with a knife. But the silence and water wasn't so bad to listen to.

"I don't think I want to go to New York anymore," she finally stated.

He turned to her and looked at her curiously. "What? Why not?"

She sighed and bent down to feel the water on her fingers. "There are so many reasons I could tell you," she answered.

"I know you want to go Haley," he stated. "It's a big opportunity."

"But I don't want to leave you," she mumbled. He never moved his eyes away from her. He was practically glued to her. So as soon as he saw the sad expression on her face, he reached over to lift her chin up to look at him.

"I don't want to leave you either. I don't want to spend two whole years in Europe without you there with me. But I know that you don't want to go because -"

"I've been thinking about that, and I've decided that I just might go with you," she cut in.

Hearing those words made him happy, but he knew that it wasn't coming from her heart. He shook his head with a pleased smile and said, "Don't give up your dreams because of me," he stated. He reached over to tuck in a few locks of hair behind her ear and continued. "You're ambitions are important to me and I want you to find success. I want to see you grow and advance. I'll be your support."

"But I don't want to be apart from you," she stated.

"I'm not going to the moon. We can still visit each other," he smiled, caressing her hair in between his fingers.

"So you're not mad at me for wanting to pursue my career?" she questioned.

He shook his head. "No, why would I? I don't want to be the reason why you gave up your dreams. Even if I don't like being an ocean away from you, I'll still remain by your side cheering you on your new journey. So by the time I return from Europe, you'll be an up-and-coming photographer and I'll have a successful hotel and resort running." She smiled in response as he observed her natural beauty. "Even if we'll be apart now, later we'll be able to do everything we wanted to do. I'll be able to hold your hand at the beach, cook you dinner, watch you sleep and . . . maybe even spend the rest of my life with you," he added.

Haley could feel her heart racing beneath her chest as he spoke. She never knew how romantic Nathan could be. The thought of spending the rest of her life with this man wasn't such a bad thing to imagine. She loved him so much that she was willing to do that. She couldn't wait for the next two years to pass so she could do all those things with him.

"So don't cheat on me while I'm gone," he ordered as he lifted himself off the edge of the pool to get up.

He began unrolling his pants so that he wouldn't look silly. Then he heard and saw Haley stand up from the edge of the pool as well. Once he finished adjusting his pants and straightened up, Haley strode towards him to give him a tight embrace. Her face was buried into his chest, moving it comfortably to know that he was really there. He wasn't expecting that but he liked it. He smiled at the warmth of her hug and held her tighter.

"Thank you," she whispered.

He began stroking her hair until he lifted her up a little bit so that she was now eye level with him. Startled by the sudden position change, she rested her head against his shoulder and smiled. He slowly swung her side to side when he felt Haley lightly kiss him on the neck causing him to smile.

Later that night, they ended up cuddling up to each other on the couch as they watched a Bruce Willis movie. As always, Haley had a bowl of popcorn in her lap, chewing and crunching away every minute of every second. Nathan laughed when she noticed that she had eaten all of it before the movie ended. She looked so sad. The girl was impossible when it came to food. It was like her stomach was endless.

While her eyes were glued to the television, his eyes were stuck on her. He wanted to keep her face embedded into his memory. He didn't want to forget what she looked like while he was away. Nathan was going to spend every waking moment he could with her before he left. It was all he wanted to do while he was still here.

"If any of those naked men asks you for a coffee after a photo shoot, you should say no. Okay?" he advised.

Haley put a light smile on and turned away from the screen to look at Nathan. "Okay," she replied.

"Remember not to wear revealing clothes either," he added.

"I won't. Unless it's gets really hot and I have to remove them," she joked. Nathan's eyes widened at her comment and pouted towards the television screen.

Haley couldn't help but be amazed by his sudden jealousy and leaned over to wrap her arms around her waist. "I miss you already," she whispered.

Nathan's jealousy and annoyance suddenly subsided when he noticed her hugging him. He smirked and rubbed her back as she stayed by his side. Then she lifted her head up from his chest and glanced at his lips. The light from the television flickered across it as if it was full of electricity. Nathan noticed that she was staring at him and figured that it was a sign to lean in for a kiss. So he slowly came forward, with both of their lips already parted and planted a sensual, slow and longing kiss on her lips. They gradually closed their eyes as they leaned in closer to each other, making the kiss deeper and more passionate. Eventually Nathan's hand moved from her back down to her waist and pushed her shirt up until he was able to touch her warm flesh under his fingers.

As soon as Haley felt his touch, she jolted backwards, startled by the intensity of their make out session and pushed her shirt back down.

"What are you doing?" she questioned with surprised eyes.

Stunned by her skittishness, he wiped his lips with the back of his hand. He could tell by the way Haley was looking at him that she was uncomfortable with going any further than kissing. "I – I was just ," he stuttered. "My- my hand. I was just repositioning my hand."

"Really?" she asked with curiously. "Liar!"

He suddenly grew frustrated. Ever since they've been together, all they've done was kiss. Sometimes it would their kisses would get hot and heavy, but then Haley would stop him from moving his hands anywhere she wasn't comfortable. And Nathan respected her decision to go slow, but he was a man with needs. The sudden blue ball moments were starting to annoy him.

"All we ever do is kiss," he complained.

She scoffed by his complaint. "Because that's all I could give you right now, Mr. Handsy!" she retorted.

Clearly not happy with how far they've gone in their sex life, Nathan decided to just stop any physical contact with her completely. "From now on, don't touch me," he demanded.

Haley laughed at his order. "Why are you getting mad at me? You're the one who tried to take my shirt off!"

Nathan looked away and climbed off the couch quickly. "I'm going to bed," he mumbled. Haley watched him as he stomped his way up the stairs.

Looking at him with furrowed eyes, she said, "Nathan! Stop being like that! You're always walking away when you don't get what you want!"

"Don't touch me tomorrow!" he called out before he disappeared into his room.

Haley scoffed in disbelief. She never thought she'd make him get all flustered like that. It was funny to see him act that way around her. Who knew she was sexually desirable? Even if she always stopped them from going any further, she wanted to be with him someday. She just wanted to take it slow.

She chuckled in amazement as she continued to look up at his balcony. _He wasn't kidding was he? Such a child._ She smiled and took the empty popcorn bowl and headed back to the kitchen.

**

* * *

**

For days two straight, Nathan's been trying his very hardest to avoid any physical contact with Haley. Since she practically put a scar on his heart for wanting to do more than kiss that one night, he thought he'd stay away from her so he wouldn't have to get frustrated again. He also didn't want to startle her either. He couldn't help himself whenever they kissed. Haley was just a damn good kisser.

During breakfast, Nathan had a little knot on his shoulder and Haley went in to massage it for him. Right when he felt her hands caress his shoulders, he jumped out of his seat and grabbed a piece of bacon from his plate.

"Does it hurt?" Haley questioned, following him so she could stretch the knot out for him. "Let me massage it for you before you go to work."

Nathan continued rolling his shoulders as he placed the bacon in his mouth. "No, I'm fine. Just don't touch me."

Haley playfully glared at him and took a few steps forward. She was growing utterly frustrated by Nathan's little antics. He's been avoiding her for the past few days. At first it was fun joking around with him because of that one night, but now it wasn't getting a bit annoying. They didn't get to kiss which was really frustrating on her part.

"Stop being such a baby! It's just a simple massage," she stated, reaching her arms out to his shoulders.

She was so close to touching but Nathan ducked and backed up into the living room. "I have work! So I better go."

"Am I torturing you that badly?" she laughed.

"Yes, so bye!" he replied and rushed out the door to his car.

Then later that night, Haley decided to treat Nathan with something sweet to eat since they weren't able to give each other kisses. So she took her car out to the market to buy some cinnamon rolls and ice cream. By the time she arrived back at the house, Nathan was already there.

She smiled happily and climbed out of her car with a bag of sweet treats. Once she entered the house, she heard the shower from up stairs. She grew curious and headed towards the kitchen.

"Nathan!" she called out. "I bought us some sweets to eat!" she continued as she pulled out the food onto the counter.

Haley quickly opened the gallon of ice cream and scooped a piece with her finger and licked it. Then she realized that Nathan wasn't responding, so she grew curious as to what he was up to. So she climbed up the stairs to his room. His bathroom door was opened. He usually never left it open so she walked towards it but before she could go any further, Nathan walked out in nothing but a towel wrapped around his waist.

Haley's eyes widened at the sight of his well-toned body and turned away. He was too busy drying his hair with another towel that he didn't realize that Haley was standing in his room. But soon enough, he found her standing there, avoiding any eye contact with him.

"I just wanted to check on you," she mumbled, gluing her eyes on the art piece on his wall. She could feel the beads of sweat on her forehead. She so was flustered by the sight of his half-naked body that she couldn't concentrate.

Nathan quickly grabbed his clothes and swallowed the lump in his throat. "Uh, yeah I just wanted to take a shower. It's been a long day," he replied.

"Okay, well I bought us some desserts. So I'll just go back down stairs and wait until you change." She turned towards the stairs, not taking one glance at him and returned to the kitchen.

Haley tried to find her composure by scooping ice cream with her spoon. She needed something cool her down after seeing such a beautiful sight moments ago. Sometimes it was hard dating such an attractive man. Nathan definitely had a lot of sex appeal and Haley couldn't help but feel lucky to have someone as successful, hard working, charming, and attractive like that.

Nathan finally finished dressing up and met up with Haley in the kitchen. He smelled amazing which made it hard for Haley to keep her composure. So she kept stuffing her mouth with food to stop her heart from racing so much.

He tried to stay a few feet away from her as they ate from the bucket of ice cream. Even the slightest touch from her would ignite all the sexual desires he was holding inside for the past few days. So he tried his best to avoid that. If anything happened, he was definitely going to pounce on her. And he didn't want that. But this was kind of his fault for trying to avoid all kinds of physical touching.

He watched as Haley placed a spoonful of ice cream in her mouth and gazed at the way her tongue licked her lips. His heart began to speed up at the sight and quickly looked away to keep himself from getting turned on. So he continued eating the cinnamon rolls she bought to keep him distracted.

"Damn it!" she cried out.

He quickly turned to her to see what was wrong and noticed that she spilled some ice cream on her chest. She grabbed a napkin and tried to rub it off. He cringed at the sight. Immediately, he started having dirty thoughts. Again, he looked away to avoid watching what she was doing. And she wasn't stopping. She kept trying clean off the stain off her shirt. He couldn't take it anymore so he quickly grabbed her wrist and dragged her out of the kitchen.

"Go change!" he ordered, pushing her down the hall to her room.

"What? Let me finish eating the food then I'll change," she replied, trying to move back into the kitchen.

"Haley, just do it," he demanded through his teeth and practically forced her into her room. He shut the door quickly before she could escape and held it tightly so she wouldn't be able to get out.

She groaned and decided to do what she was told. Opening her closet, she picked out a regular red t-shirt and changed into it. Once she was done, she casually walked up to her door to open it. But found out that she couldn't. Haley glanced down at her lock and noticed that it wasn't locked at all.

"Nathan!" she cried out, slamming her fist against the door. "Are you holding the door?"

"No. You should go to sleep now!" he replied from the other side.

She glared at the door and started knocking on it harder. "Nathan! Let me out! I want to finish eacting the food I bought!"

"Eating after six isn't good for you!"

"Since when did that ever matter to me? Just let me out Nathan!"

Nathan sighed out side, holding the door knob tightly. He could feel Haley trying to twist it open but luckily he was stronger than her. "I'm not going to let her startle me again," he whispered. "I'm not going to let her."

"Nathan! I have to pee! You can't lock me in my room all night!"

"You're lying!"

"Nathan, I'm not lying!" she cried out, slamming against the door again. "Let. Me. Out! I'm going to combust!"

Worried about her bladder bursting, he slowly opened the door for her. Immediately, she gave him her playful death glare and tried to squeeze her way through the little crack he left for her.

"Do you really have to use the bathroom?" he questioned.

"No," she answered as she forced herself through the door until she was finally out. "I just wanted you to open it," she added.

She finally settled herself in front of him and noticed how flustered he suddenly became. He looked at her and noticed her new red shirt. There was no longer a stain on her chest, but her presence standing in front of him made him want her so badly. And they continued to stare at each other intensely. He thought that she'd move out of his sight so she could eat more food, but she didn't. She just stood there, bashfully looking at him.

He observed her beauty, her simplicity, her body, her lips, her hair and swallowed the lump in his throat. She blinked away to look at something else for a minute but then returned to his gaze. In that very second their eyes connected again, Nathan realized he couldn't take it anymore. Haley couldn't hold it in any longer.

So he stepped forward and picked up her off her feet. He held her up against the door with her legs wrapped around his waist. They both leaned in for a kiss but Nathan was taking more control of it all. She raked her hands into his freshly cleaned hair as their kiss began to get deeper and deeper.

Then he carried her across the living room, their lips never parting. He tried to find his way up the stairs to his room, but they hit a few tables and chairs on the way. Their tongues continued to tangle against each other as they made it to his bedroom. Haley's hand reached down his back to pull up his shirt. He quickly got rid of it for her and continued kissing her passionately. Then he guided both of them towards the edge of his bed and they fell back against it. And they began rolling in the sheets.

* * *

**So what did you think? You like? Keep me inspired!** (p.s. I'm not really good at writing sex scenes, lol, that's all I could manage)


	17. The Last Lie

**A/N: Hi my loves! **I believe it has come to that point in time in the fan fiction world where the story has to end. I really want to thank all of you who have been supporting me through out this whole writing process. Writing this story for all of you has been so delightful, and fun because you all have given me so much motivation and inspiration that I wish I had for many of my past stories. I'm going to miss writing for these characters. They aren't the usual Haley, Nathan, Jake, Brooke, Lucas, and Dan we usually see on T.V. I made a completely different version of them. They are charismatic, joyful, infectious, witty and funny. I actually wrote a story with a good plot and good lesson for everyone to learn. The price of hard work and independence. This story will remain close to my heart. I don't think I've ever been so happy with the result of writing a story as much as this one. And I am so glad that you all have grown to love it. I'm very very blessed to have all of you as my readers. I hope to write a new story that reaches the same level as this one soon.

I will list all of my readers that I want to thank at the end of this chapter. So I hope you really really really enjoy this chapter! :)

p.s. I also want to state that I corrected my mistake about the whole 18 and 21 ages about the car. I think I was trying to think of a correct one for Haley. But to those who are confused, she received her car when she was 18 and moved out when she was 21. I fixed it.

Now enjoy the last chapter.

**Annie.**

* * *

_Bad beginnings always make happy endings_  
_ Now I know you I begin to understand things_  
_ Turn around a hundred-eighty degrees_  
_ I found my missing piece_

**Chapter 17 "Lie 17 _The Last Lie_"  
**

The next morning, Nathan felt something roll over against him. Something soft and heavy was on top of his chest. Then he felt something warm blowing against his neck. When he opened his eyes, he noticed the brightness of the sun beaming out from his window. And he moved his eyes at the sleeping creature right next to him. He smiled happily at the sight of Haley and reached over to caress her cheek.

He could remember last night pretty clearly. First they started out playing around and bickering with each other and then the next thing they were making out and removing each other's clothes. They both were obviously sexually frustrated. They couldn't hold it in any longer.

He continued to smile and pushed away the pieces of hair from her eyes. She looked incredibly beautiful sleeping right next to him like that. It was what he wanted to do every single morning – waking up to a beautiful woman sleeping soundly beside him.

As she slept, he began admiring all of her features. He traced his finger over her eyes, brushing her eye lashes. Then he drew an imaginary path from her eyes to her adorable nose. She wrinkled her face from the soft tickle from his finger. He lightly chuckled from her expression and moved his finger down to her lips. They were full and kissable. He was going to miss giving her sweet kisses every day. He could literally feel his heart racing just observing her gorgeous features.

He sighed and cupped the back of her head so he could kiss her on the forehead. He grinned then looked at her shoulder, leaned in to kiss her soft skin then held her hand close to his heart and continued observing her sleeping figure. He couldn't have been any happier than in this moment.

Since Haley was sound asleep - comfortably lying on the bed - Nathan thought about setting up breakfast for her before she woke up. So he lightly unpinned her arm from his chest, looked down and noticed that her leg was wrapped around his leg. She wasn't shy about keeping him close to her. He laughed and gently removed her leg off him so he didn't wake her up. Once he was free, he rolled off the bed. But he lost his balance and fell right on his knee.

"Ugh!" he groaned, holding his leg as he stood up. Then he heard the sound of rustling sheets and quickly looked up to see Haley moving around against the pillow. He swallowed the lump in his throat quietly and stepped into a pair of boxers shorts. As he was doing that, he noticed her moving again. So he hurried towards the door to leave before she could see him. But then he slipped on something on the floor. He groaned by the abrupt fall again and picked whatever it was that he slipped on. When he picked it up, he noticed that it was Haley's bra.

Haley sluggishly woke up, the sun burning her eyes as she tried to open them and turned to Nathan who was on the floor next to the clothes they tore off each other last night. Her eyes furrowed and pushed the sheets up to her chest so she wasn't exposed.

"What are you doing, Nathan?" she grumbled, rubbing her eyes.

Nathan glanced at her and stood up, throwing her bra back down so he didn't look like a big perv. "I was about to head down to make breakfast," he answered all flustered. "Did you sleep well?"

Haley lay back down on the bed and nodded with a smile.

"Good, good," he replied, folding his arms across his chest to keep himself from looking uneasy. Even if they were rolling around in the sheets last night, completely naked, they were too shy to be fully comfortable with each other's nudity. It was kind of adorable to both of them. "Should I start some coffee?" he questioned.

Instead of speaking, she nodded again and looked around the floor for her clothes. Then she spotted her bra right next to his feet. Her eyes widened and sat up with the covers wrapped tightly around her. He looked at her curiously as she clumsily climbed off the bed. Then she started crawling on the floor to grab her clothes especially her bra by his feet. His eye brow lifted in amusement and he laughed at her bashfulness.

"Don't look at me!" she whined, crawling back to the bed.

He chuckled. "I'll look at you as long as I want," he grinned.

"Go make coffee," she ordered.

"Alright, let me fix this place up first," he replied, leaning down to pick up his clothes from the floor. Then he came closer to her. "How did this get here?" he questioned as he bent down behind Haley and picked her up.

"Nathan!" she cried out. He laughed as he lifted her up in his arms and gently placed her back on the bed where she trying to get to in the first place.

Moments later, after Nathan and Haley changed into more clean and comfortable clothes, they both sat outside by the pool with coffee mugs in their hands. They watched the sun gleam above the horizon and soaked in the fresh morning air. Haley sat with her legs up close to chest and sipped the coffee from her cup. Nathan glanced at her from his chair and continued admiring her again. Even if she was just wearing one of his large t-shirts and her softy shorts, she still looked amazingly beautiful.

"Promise you'll stay out of danger while I'm in Europe," he advised, sipping from his mug. "Because I won't be able run over to you to heal your wounds or push you out of busy roads, you know."

She smiled. "I'll try to stay out of harm."

"Promise me you will," he repeated.

With the cup near her lips, she glanced at him and whispered, "I promise." He accepted her answer and watched as she reached over to break a piece of the cinnamon roll from the plate. She stuffed it in her mouth and chewed it quickly.

He grinned and said, "Don't eat so much in New York either. Even if it looks edible to _my_ swindler's eyes, don't eat it. Make sure it's not poisoned. You might get sick."

"You make me sound like a dog that eats anything in plain sight."

"Because you basically do."

First she playfully glared at him but then thought about it and realize he was right. She nodded in agreement and put another piece of cinnamon roll into her mouth. "Remember to call me every day. I want to keep your voice in my memory," she advised.

"I thought my voice was annoying to you?"

"That was before," she replied. "I'm going to miss hearing it so much while you're away."

He smiled as he traced his finger on the rim of his mug. Then suddenly he was struck with a wave of sadness just thinking about them being apart. "If people ask you if you have a boyfriend, tell them ye,"she advised. "Or just don't make any friends at all, that'll be better."

She laughed. "Do you not know me at all?" she questioned.

He groaned at the fact that Haley had a friendly personality. _Curse her quality for being so likable_. "Just say you have a boyfriend," he groaned.

Haley smiled at Nathan's pouty face and placed her cup down on the table in between them. Then she climbed off her chair and walked up to him. She grabbed his arm, placing it on her waist and sat on his lap, wrapping her arms around his neck.

"Don't work too hard in Europe," she advised. "If you feel tired, go home and rest. Drink some water," she advised, playing with the lining of his hair.

Nathan stared at her gently, and cupped her face in between his hands to kiss her lightly on the lips. "If you feel sad or anything, I want you to call me. If you don't, I'll be mad at you."

She grinned at him, loving how protective he was of her. She sighed deeply, missing him already. Then she held his face in her hands and said, "Let me take a good look at my sexy boyfriend," she smiled. She smoothed her hand over his furrowed eyes. "These eyes, this nose, these lips. They are all mine." She caressed his cheeks and kissed every feature on his face.

Nathan tried to fight away the sad emotions that were overwhelming him, but at the same time he thought about how lucky he was to have someone like her in his life. Maybe feeling sad wasn't so bad. _It was a happy sad_. He gently removed her hands from his face. He didn't like these types of conversations. They made him incredibly sad. He didn't want to act like they were never going to see each other again.

"Stop it. You're not leaving yet," he stated, wrapping his arms tightly around her waist.

"Then we should spend the remaining time we have here together," she suggested, leaning against his shoulder.

"Okay," he agreed. "A date every day."

"Sounds perfect," she smiled and lightly kissed him on the neck.

**

* * *

**

There was one more week left until Nathan had to leave for Europe. And every single day, they've been trying to enjoy each other's company as much as possible. Sometimes they wouldn't even focus on anything else except each other. There wasn't enough time to spare, so they took advantage of it.

As they held hands along the sidewalks of the city, Nathan noticed a jewelry store at the corner of the block. He held up her left hand and imagined a ring placed on it. He rubbed her ring finger gently and smiled.

"What? Is there something on it?" she asked, realizing that he was staring at her finger with a way too happy expression.

He placed her hand back down and glanced at the store then at the ice cream shop right next to it.

"Go get us some ice cream, "he ordered, dragging her down the sidewalk.

"What?" she questioned, bumping into people as they walked. "But I don't want ice cream right now."

"Well I want some," he replied, guiding her to the shop.

"Okay," she replied slowly as they finally stopped in front of the store. He pushed her towards the entrance and she looked at him strangely as she tried to step back down. "Aren't you coming?"

"I want you to pick something out for me," he answered curtly. "Take as long as you want. I have to make a quick call," he added, pulling out his phone to show her.

She glanced at his cell and nodded. "Any kind?" she asked.

He nodded. "Just make sure it doesn't have any peanuts," he stated.

"Okay, I'll be back then," she answered and entered the ice cream store. Once she was inside, she realized that the line was pretty long. She groaned and glanced outside the window to see what Nathan was doing. When she did, he was already walking away. Her eyes furrowed and leaned against the window to find him, but he was lost in the crowd. She sighed, turned back around and stood in the long line.

Nathan immediately made his way inside the jewelry store to browse around. He was amazed by all the expensive jewelry that ranged form charmed necklaces, gold bracelets, and silver earrings to diamond rings. Everything was practically shining and twinkling at him every way he turned.

He approached the display cabinet filled with rings and observed all the different styles and bands.

"Can I help you?" the jeweler asked from behind the display desk.

Nathan looked up and nodded. "Yeah, I wanted to pick something out for a special someone."

It took a while for Haley to get Nathan his ice cream. The lady in front of her kept changing her mind about what she wanted and used up about five different flavored cones. She went from strawberry swirl ice cream in a sprinkled cone with gummy bears on top to a simple vanilla ice cream on an original cone with no topping. It made Haley a bit irritated. She wanted to pull the woman's weave out. But she calmed down as soon as the lady was satisfied with her order

Once she paid for Nathan's ice cream, she walked out and found Nathan standing outside, waiting for her.

"How was the call?" she asked as she handed him the cone.

"It was good," he lied as he started licking the ice cream.

They continued to walk along the streets for a while until they ended up at the park. His ice cream was melting so he threw it in the trash and held her hand tightly in his. As they continued to walk, Nathan kept glancing at her, trying to find the right moment to do what he had to do.

She looked up at the Regalien hotel close by and smiled at the memories that they had inside. Then she glanced at the parking space she was stuck in and rolled her eyes at her idiotic ways.

"I need to give you something," she heard Nathan say. So she looked away from the hotel and glanced at him with a smile.

"Okay," she said lightly.

"Close your eyes and I'll hand it to you," he advised.

She tilted her head at him and gazed at him curiously. "Will it hurt me?" she questioned.

He chuckled and shook his head. "No, I promise it won't."

"Okay then," she said as she closed her eyes.

"Don't peek," he ordered as he lifted her hand up from her side. "It will ruin the surprise if you peek," he added.

"You need to start trusting me," she mumbled with her eyes still tightly sealed.

He pulled out the jewel from his pocket and gently placed it in her palm and said, "I will eventually." And he closed her hand for her.

She groaned at his answer and said, "How many times do I have to apologize for what I did? I'm sorry!" she complained.

He laughed at her. "You can look now," he grinned.

Haley opened her eyes and looked at her hand to reveal the ring that he placed inside. She could literally feel her heart trying to bust through her chest as she continued to stare at it. "This is so beautiful," she whispered.

"Try it on," he advised.

"Huh?"

He smirked. "I said to try it on."

She noticed the seriousness in his expression and glanced back down at the ring in her hand. "I can't wear this Nathan," she said as she tried to remove it, but Nathan grabbed her hand before she could.

"Why not? I bought it for you," he stated. He took the ring and then slowly placed it on her finger.

Her eyes widened at the shiny object in her hand. He smiled at her startled expression and tucked a piece of hair behind her ear.

"I want you to keep this on while we're apart," he stated. "We might not be able to get married now but I hope to marry you some day," he confessed. Haley was so stunned that she couldn't speak. All she could do was create a few tears that flooded the rim of her eyes. He heart was going crazy during this moment and she couldn't control it. "You don't have to think of it as an engagement ring. Just wear it so people know that you're taken. And maybe if we're still in love by the time I return, we could officially announce it to the world," he explained, moving her hand up to his lips and kissed it lightly. "So will you accept it?"

It took Haley a second to answer. She wasn't expecting anything like this to happen any time soon. But since she was completely infatuated with the man who was standing right in front of her, she couldn't reject it. So she shyly nodded her head.

Nathan smiled in relief and pulled her into a tight hug. He was so happy that she accepted the ring even if it meant they had to wait two years or more to officially announce anything. As they continued to hug, they heard clapping noises beside them. They both grew curious and turned to the side only to find a couple of people staring at them happily.

"That was beautiful!" an old woman cried, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

Nathan and Haley glanced at each other and chuckled to themselves.

**

* * *

**

They spent the remainder of their time falling more and more in love with each other. It was hard for both of them to lie in each other's arms every night, knowing that they wouldn't be able to do that for two whole years. No matter how many minutes of every hour of every day that they spent with each other, it just wasn't enough. They felt as if they needed more time, _just a little bit more time_. But unfortunately, life wasn't generous enough to do that.

Nathan sighed as he gathered all of his belongings from his office into a box. He didn't expect this day to come so soon, he was just starting to get used to living with Haley as his girlfriend. There was too much to do and so many memories to make. And it saddened him to think about what could change in the next two years while they were apart.

_Would Haley become jaded because of the environment she'd be living in? Or will their love fade because of the time and distance?_

He groaned at the thought and picked up the photo of his family from the front of his desk. It was of his mother, father, and himself at his high school graduation. He smiled at the perfect family photo and realized that his father was coming back home some time his week. He wasn't quite sure how life in Charlotte was going to be like now that his parents were going through marital complications. But he was still hopeful that things would be better between them. Two years was a lot of time to become the couple they used to be. It just takes a lot of time and patience.

He finished packing the rest of his things when Emily opened the door. He looked up and smiled at his assistant. Because of her latest engagement, she wasn't going with him to Europe. He understood her reasons because her wedding was in a couple of months and it would be a shame to move off to another country in the middle of their engagement.

"I just wanted to wish you luck in Europe," she stated.

"Thanks, Em," he replied, closing the top of the cardboard box. "And I want to wish you many years of marital bliss. I'm sorry that I won't be able to make it to your wedding," he added.

"Oh no, it's fine," she began. "You have other obligations to focus on."

"Yeah, but I'll be back sooner than you think," he replied. "My dad will take my place for the mean time. Hopefully that won't be too much of a hassle for you."

"Oh, I've worked for your father before, remember? It'll be smooth sailing," she said. He nodded, pleased by her response. He sealed the box full of his belongings and turned to Emily with a relieved smile.

Emily had been so patient and supportive of him for many years. Unlike Nathan and Haley in the beginning, he and Emily had a very professional relationship. They remained friendly and focused on work. Emily was kind of like an older sister to him – someone he could rely on when things got complicated in his life. She was part of his support system.

Before he and Emily left the office, he made sure that he didn't leave anything behind. Once he realized that everything was already packed, they exchanged goodbyes and blessings for the near future.

**

* * *

**

Haley sat on his bed with her legs crossed as she waited for Nathan to return from the hotel. She wanted to stay calm for him so that their farewell wouldn't be so hard to do. Even if she was hurting inside, she didn't want to be over-emotional when he left. She was very emotional when she exchanged goodbyes with everyone yesterday though. It was hard saying goodbye to her best friends and Nathan's family. She couldn't imagine what it would be like to say goodbye to Nathan.

She glanced at his now empty closet with one swinging hanger on it, and then moved her eyes over to the aquarium where the black and white clown fish she gave him swam. "We're going to miss you, Dick," she mumbled, sadly gazing at the tank.

She sighed deeply and lay back against this bed. She could feel the tears forcing their way out from her tear ducts, but she fought them away. She definitely didn't want to cry because of this.

_Two years wasn't that long, she thought. It's not that long. Two years is like two minutes if I stay focused on work. Two minutes . ... Two years. Just two years._

She groaned and quickly sat up when she heard the door open. Her heart began to race the minute she knew it was Nathan. She swallowed the lump in her throat and picked up one of his suitcases that he left behind and headed downstairs.

"You ready to drive me to the airport?" he asked the second he saw Haley with his suitcase.

She bit down gently on her lip to keep herself from crying and nodded. He could tell that Haley was trying her hardest to stop the tears. It made his heart ache just looking at how sad she was standing there at the bottom of the stair case. If he could, he'd stay here with her. But he knew that Haley wouldn't let him.

Haley silently packed his luggage into the trunk and climbed into the car, afraid that if she spoke she'd burst into tears. So the drive to the airport wasn't as verbal and cheerful as it usually was. There just weren't any words that could be spoken at this time. A casual conversation wouldn't fit the circumstance.

Nathan glanced away from his side of the car and observed Haley's blank expression as she drove. She was trying not to think of anything in order to keep herself from being emotional. Then he moved his eyes to her hand that was placed on the stick shift and gently placed his hand on top of hers for comfort. Haley blinked a few times at the sudden electric shock from his touch and bit her lip to keep the tears from pouring out.

The minute they stepped inside the airport, Haley struggled with her emotions. She held his hand as they carried his things towards check in. He could feel her trembling beside him and grew curious. So he glanced at her and noticed her saddened expression. She was trying so hard to fight away the tears but obviously it wasn't working out.

He pulled her hand up to his lips and kissed the top of it. Then she stopped walking..

"I don't want go any further," she stated. "I might stop you from boarding the plane."

"Okay, then we'll say goodbye right here," he replied, turning towards her with his luggage in hand.

She cringed at the sound of 'goodbye' and swallowed the lump in her throat. "Call me when you get there okay?" she advised, avoiding his eyes. "I don't know what your phone number is over there so you better call me."

He smiled. "I will," he said.

Haley bit her lip and gazed at her shoes to hide away her tears. Her eyes blurred and a single drop from her tear duct fell on top of her shoe. She quickly wiped her eyes with the back of her hand and tried to find some composure.

"So I guess I'll see you later," she mumbled, struggling to look him in the eye. "Take care of yourself, okay?" she advised shakily.

Nathan's chest tightened at the way Haley was looking at him. He never thought he'd see her cry like this. It was too painful to watch, but he had to be strong for both of them. So he fought away his own emotions and held her close in a tight embrace.

He planted a kiss on top of her head and said, "Be safe in New York."

"Okay," she whispered against his chest. Tears continued to flow down her cheeks as she held him close to her. But she couldn't stay there for long. Her emotions were starting to overwhelm her so she quickly pulled away from his embrace and wiped her tears. "You should get going. You don't want to be late for your flight," she stated, covering her eyes with her hands.

He sighed deeply and gazed at his woman admirably. He could hear her sobbing silently into her hands, making his heart ache like crazy. Slowly, he pulled her hands away from her face and held them tightly in his.

"I love you," he muttered, finally seeing her completely.

At the sound of her words, her lips continued to quiver uncontrollably and she looked away from him to hide her face. Haley didn't have enough energy or enough strength to say it back. It was too hard to handle.

"I love you," he repeated, realizing that she didn't say it in return. Without knowing it, his eyes began to water.

"I love –"she quickly touched her lips to keep it from trembling and continued. "I love you too," she finally said.

He wiped his eyes a little bit and cupped her face so he could leave one last meaningful kiss on her lips. Then he quickly turned away to leave without even taking one more glance at her. He was afraid that if he did, he'd never be able to step onto the plane. So he resisted and walked out with the image of her beauty in his mind.

Haley stood there, struggling to regulate her breaths and watched him disappear through the entrance. Then she placed her hand against her chest to feel the throbbing of her heart. It almost felt as if it was ready to explode but she gathered enough strength to slow its pace. Then she turned away and headed back to the house to prepare for her own departure.

As Haley was stuffing her suitcases into her trunk, she saw a familiar vehicle drive up to the house. She blocked her eyes from the sun to see who it was and smiled. Roger was sitting happily in the driver's seat when he waved. Haley waved back and saw Jake climb out from the back seat.

"I was afraid that you left already," he stated walking up to her. "I'm right on time."

Haley smiled shyly and shut her trunk. He glanced at her with his hands shoved into pockets and observed her swollen eyes.

"Did you say goodbye to Nathan?" she questioned.

"We exchanged farewells yesterday," he replied.

Haley nodded and wiped the remainder of her tears from her eyes. "That's good. You don't want to miss saying goodbye to him."

"Two years won't be long, you know. I went to Europe for a couple of years and before I knew it, I was heading back home," he said.

"Yeah. Good thing I'm going to New York to distract myself," she responded. "Oh," she snapped, suddenly remembering something. She pulled an object out of her pocket and handed him a silver key. "Here's the key to the house," she smiled. "I'm glad that we decided to let you have it for a while. It was yours in the first place."

He glanced at the key in his palm and closed it tightly. "It doesn't belong to me, it's yours. I just designed it."

"Same thing. You created this masterpiece," she complimented.

He gazed at the shiny object in his palm and closed his hand. "I'll be sure to keep it safe until the both of you return."

"Thank you, Jake," she smiled, stepping forward to hug him tightly to her. Jake almost felt his heart skip a beat at the warmth of her embrace. Even if they couldn't be more than friends, he was happy that he still had her friendship. "You've been so kind to me ever since I came into town. I'm so glad I met you," she mumbled against his shoulder.

"I'm glad you caused so much chaos," he joked as they parted. Haley playfully glared at him and pointed at him daringly with her index finger. But then she leaned over to give him a kiss on the cheek to thank him completely for all the things he did for her.

She could remember the very first moment she met him. It was at the park. She was admiring the stars above her, praying to her mother when a thief snatched her purse. And Jake was there to get it back for her. Without him, she would've lost a lot. He even gave her fresh clothes to wear, a shower to clean off with, food to fill her stomach, and a friend that she could talk to while stuck in the city. Even if she didn't harbor strong feelings for him, she was thankful for being able to meet someone as angelic as Jake Jagielski. He was like her very own guardian angel.

Then they pulled apart from their embrace and exchanged goodbyes. She climbed into her convertible and glanced at the house and Jake one last time before she headed off for New York City.

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_**TWO YEARS LATER.**_

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**

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**

_FLASH! FLASH! FLASH!_

The photographer stopped shooting when she noticed something different about her model's face.

"Her make up is melting," Haley stated, pointing to her eye to show everyone where the problem was. The make up artist hurried over to the red headed model and fixed the smudged make up and then quickly jumped out of the way.

"Thank you, Mary!" Haley smiled as she pulled the camera back up to her eye and focused her attention to the familiar actress in front of her. "Toss your hair a little bit over your shoulder!" Haley ordered as she turned the camera at a different angle. "GOOD! PERFECT!"

Rachel smiled at the sound of her voice. Ever since she met Haley a couple of months ago while walking the streets of New York, they became pretty close. Even if they hardly knew each other in Charlotte, they acknowledged each other as if they were long lost friends. Despite everything that happened in North Carolina, they were able to talk to each other at a personal level. Nathan and Jake were two very important people in their lives and it helped them form an incredible friendship. They had more in common than they thought. Haley never hated Rachel for what she did. She knew that it was coming some day, it was her bad karma. And Rachel didn't really hate Haley either. She was just upset and insecure about her situation with Nathan that she didn't give her a chance. But they became very close friends over time.

"Isn't Nathan arriving today?" Rachel asked as she did a different pose.

Haley's heart began to race at the very thought of his arrival. She's been anticipating this day for months and it was finally here.

"Yeah, I'm jumping on a plane right after this photo shoot," she answered, taking shot after shot. "He'll be arriving pretty soon and I want to be there before he arrives."

"Well, don't rush me," Rachel retorted. "This is very important to me. _Nylon_, Haley _Nylon_."

"I know, I know," Haley replied, taking shot after shot.

"He's going to be proud of you, you know," Rachel stated as she pushed her hair up on top of her head. "You've come so far."

"I guess so." Haley shrugged modestly and continued taking picture after picture.

She's been working hard - day and night- since she arrived to New York. Her father wasn't kidding when he offered her the job. She didn't have a lot of privileges - which he promised he wouldn't give her- and he she was glad that he fulfilled her requests. Haley liked working hard and climbing up to the top on her own without any boost. If life were easy, she wouldn't have met Nathan or Jake or even became friends with Rachel. To find success, you must struggle, take wrong paths, stumble on your feet and make mistakes. Without those, what's the point of success if you can't learn anything from the negatives?

Haley's done a few venues, worked in dark rooms, learned tips and skills from various photographers, and did a bunch of slave work since she first started out. It wasn't easy but she was used to it. It gave her something to accomplish in the end. And once her father found out that her photography had improved, he gave her the chance to take photos of anything and anyone for her very own show case. It put a little pressure on her side because she wanted to create something unique and inspiring in her photos. She wanted to impress her father and the public because If the showcase was a success, magazines and celebrities would come to her for photo shoots.

_And they did_. She made a breakthrough at her first showcase and she never thought she could be so lucky.

It had only been a couple of months since her showcase, but people were beginning to recommend her work for up-coming artists and magazines. She's only done one full celebrity photo shoot with a new tween idol. It was awkward at first because she wasn't used to doing a job where people had high expectations. But luckily, Haley's infectious personality and friendliness made the photo shoot a success. Soon after, she got another request from a very famous magazine. Nylon wanted to do an edgy yet cheerful photo shoot of Rachel Gatina for their cover. And the perfect person for the job was Haley James– a new, inspiring, talented photographer on the rim of success in the fashion business.

All these new developments in her career were a blessing. She didn't think it was possible to be so lucky especially when she had a habit of getting into unlucky situations. But even so, she definitely didn't hide it from Nathan. After the success of her show case, she called him. After the request from Nylon, she called him. And she called him when she was sick, when she was tired, when she was stressed, when she was sad, when she missed him and when she thought about him. No matter how far they were from each other, they still remained by each other's side. As Nathan promised, he supported her in her journey like a personal good luck charm.

**

* * *

**

Entering Charlotte was probably the best feeling he's ever had in two years. No matter how many adventures and experiences he had in Europe, it was nothing compared to Charlotte. It was where he belonged, where his family lived and where he met his soul mate. There wasn't any other place that could replace the love he had for this city.

As he entered his parent's neighborhood, he pulled out his phone to give his mother a call. He told the taxi driver to turn the corner and park on the curb of their driveway.

"Hello?" Deb answered.

He smiled at the sound of his mother's voice. "I like extra cheese on my lasagna. So you better have some ready by the time I come home," he stated as he looked out his window.

"Nathan?" she questioned. Both Dan and his grandmother quickly turned to Deb when they heard Nathan's name.

"Hey mom," he greeted.

"Do you need anyone to pick you up from the airport?" she questioned.

He chuckled as he paid the taxi driver and climbed out of the car with his luggage. "Actually, I just need someone to open the front door," he answered, walking up the steps of his parent's house.

Deb's eyes widened and quickly hung up the phone to run towards the front of the house. Dan and his mom both looked at Deb strangely and observed her as she swung the door open – revealing none other than Nathan.

"NATHAN!" Deb exclaimed, stepping over to hug her son dearly.

Quickly, the rest of his family met up with them at the foyer to see what all the commotion was about and they all smiled at the sight of the handsome, hard working man at the doorway.

Nathan looked up and noticed that his father was there, standing in the house where his mother slept. He nodded at the man of the house and hugged him gratefully. He was happy to see that things were finally resolved between his parents. Two years was enough time to reconcile just as he thought. After having many phone calls throughout his trip in Europe, he knew that his father had changed his ways. He spent less time working in the office and more time with his wife and mother. And Nathan was very thankful to see that his parents didn't have to divorce after all.

"You've lost some weight, Nate," his grandmother stated as he hugged her to his side. She placed her hand on his stomach then on his arms and said, "I think we should put some food inside of you."

Nathan chuckled. "I was planning on going to go out to eat with Haley later. With the way she eats, I'm pretty sure I'll gain all my weight back," he joked. "Do you know if she arrived yet?"

They all looked at each other and shook their heads. "No, not yet, honey."

He nodded, feeling a bit disappointed that she wasn't already here to greet him. "I see," he said.

"She didn't know that you were coming early, so she might've chosen a later flight," Deb stated. "But I'm sure she'll be here soon."

"Yeah," he replied. "I'll just call her up and tell her I'm already here," he added pulling out his cell phone and dialed her number.

"We'll be in the living room waiting for you. We have a lot to catch up on," his grandmother informed.

"Alright, I'll be right there," he smiled as the rest of his family disappeared from his sight.

He held his phone up to his ear and waited impatiently for Haley to answer. It already rang about four times and she still wasn't picking up. He grew curious because Haley usually answered after the second ring. So he stayed on the phone, hoping that she'd answer, but still no Haley. It went directly to her voice mail.

"_Hey, hey! You've reached Haley. I guess this is where you leave a message . . . So leave one." Beep!_

"Hey, baby. It's me Nathan. I don't know if you're too busy to answer the phone or if you're purposely ignoring my phone call but I just wanted to let you know that I'm already in town. And you're not here. So call me back as soon as possible."

**

* * *

**

"Look, Marls, this will be your room once they finish building it," Brooke stated as she stood in the middle of an empty room with Marley standing next to her. Marley had grown so big in the last two years. It all happened in the blink of an eye. It was crazy how fast children grew up. Brooke was kind of afraid to see her get older. She wanted Marley to stay a baby forever.

"Two more weeks, guys, and you're house will be complete," Jake stated as he walked into the room with Lucas right beside him.

"I'm glad Haley recommended you to design our first house," Lucas stated as he glanced at the sketch Jake was holding.

"I know!" Brook exclaimed. "I've always admired the design of Nathan's house. I'm so thrilled to finally have one of our own."

Jake smiled, pleased by their compliments. "It's my pleasure. I'm just glad that you all enjoy the design. But it's not all completely my work. You inputted your ideas in here too, so you should be proud of yourselves."

"Good thing, we won the lottery or we wouldn't be able to afford this place," Brooke stated, gazing at the tall ceilings and arched windows.

About a month ago, Lucas decided to buy a lottery ticket out of whim and ended up winning half a million dollars. Who knew the only time they entered a lottery game, they'd win the prize. It seemed like it was something that would only happen in a movie. They were just lucky enough to get the right ticket.

As Jake and Lucas continued discussing the design of the house, Brooke felt her phone vibrate in her pocket. So she quickly pulled it out and noticed that it was Haley. She smiled and answered it.

"Hey hoe," she greeted.

"Guess where I am right now?" Haley replied.

"You're in my house!" Brooke squealed.

Haley rolled her eyes on the other line. "I'm in Charlotte. I just arrived, silly!"

"Oh my gosh!" Brooke gasped. Jake and Lucas turned to her curiously. "Haley's home!" she told them.

Both of the men smiled at the news. They've been anticipating this moment for so long. Jake's career in architecture sky rocketed over the years. He's become one of the top names in his agency. He's already created about ten house designs. Brooke and Lucas's house being one of them. After gaining tons of success and inspiring reviews from around the city and state, he was able to meet a woman with similar qualities. Her name was Peyton Sawyer - a girl with amazing drawing skills and a strong willed personality. She was independent and smart like the girl he had fallen for two years ago. Even if she wasn't Haley, she was pretty close and almost perfect for him. Jake was living a good life and he couldn't be happier.

"And speaking of your house, how's that going? Is it done?" Haley questioned.

"We have two more weeks left until we can finally move in!"

"Good thing I have talented friends like Jake, right? I still can't believe you won the lottery. That's crazy," Haley muttered.

"I know. It's weird. I still can't really grasp the thought that we won half a million dollars," Brooke replied as she twirled Marley around with her finger. "At least we'll be closer to each other. No more four hour drives back and forth."

"We abandoned Tree Hill," Haley moped as she sat in the back seat of a taxi.

"No we didn't. We can always come back there to visit. We just found somewhere better to live."

"I guess," she replied as she glanced outside the window and observed the bustling streets of Charlotte.

"Since you're here, should we set up a welcome home dinner?" Brooke questioned.

"Yeah, as soon as I meet up with Nathan. He's back too," Haley replied, glancing out the window only to find Nathan walking into a coffee shop. "I just found him. I'll call you back later." She hung up quickly and ordered the taxi to stop.

She paid the driver, grabbed her things, and jogged after Nathan in the coffee shop. Once she entered the place, she started searching for the man she had been anticipating to see for two whole years. Carrying her luggage behind her, she found him sitting behind the wall that divided the counter and the tables. She smiled happily at the sight of him, and slowly walked closer.

It had been two hours since he called Haley and she still hadn't called back. And it made him worry about her whereabouts. Haley could tell that she upset him a little bit. She heard the message he left on her phone, but she didn't want to call him back. She wanted to surprise him. But seeing him mope around because of her was too cute.

Quietly, she poked him on the shoulder and asked, "Can I borrow money for gas?"

Confused, he turned around towards the familiar voice. His eyes widened at the sight of his beautiful girlfriend and watched as she made her way around him to sit on the other side of the table.

"If you can't do that, I'll make a deal with you," she offered with a smile. He kept staring at her in surprise, like he had never seen her before. His heart felt as if it was ready to explode from his chest. Haley glanced at the middle of the table noticed the pastries he bought. "I'm a pretty decent cleaner and I cook amazing pancakes," she stated, grabbing a piece. "So if you're interested, I'll do all of that for you if you pay me on the spot," she grinned.

Nathan still hadn't said a word. Seeing her sitting across from him made him speechless. It had been way too long. And she looked gorgeous as ever. Her hair was longer than usual with a tint of red and she looked slimmer than she used to be. But other than that, she was still the same Haley he knew two years ago.

Haley gazed at him and chewed on the piece of bread in her mouth. She tilted her head and said, "You don't have to pay me money. I'll work for food instead."

He chuckled and continued to admire her beauty."Like ice cream and mac&cheese?"

"Definitely those," she nodded.

"I have one condition, though," he said.

"And what is that, boss?"

"I don't hire liars. So if you have anything to hide, I can't hire you," he stated.

Haley rolled her eyes at him playfully and climbed off her chair to sit on his lap. Wrapping her arms around his neck tightly, she whispered. "Oh, how I missed you!" she squealed, ignoring what he said.

Nathan let out a deep sigh. This was what he was missing for two years. The warmth of her hugs, the sound of her voice, and her pretty smile. He embraced her tighter to him, happy to be in this position with her.

"You don't have to worry about me lying to you anymore," she stated, parting from him. "I tell the truth now," she smiled as she cupped his face in her hands so she could observe his handsome facial features. She smoothed away his worried eyes and smiled at it. "You haven't changed at all. My boyfriend's still very sexy." She leaned in to place many kisses all over his face from his eye lids, cheeks, nose, lips, to every available space she could kiss. "These are all mine."

He gently pulled her away from kissing his face and took a moment to admire her features as well. First he had a serious expression on but then once he started realizing that this was real – that Haley was actually there-he began to smile. He smoothed away the hair from her face and leaned in for their very first kiss in two years.

As they parted, Haley couldn't stop smiling. But Nathan quickly furrowed his eyes at her.

"Why didn't you call me back?" he questioned. "You made me worried."

She chuckled. "It was only for a few hours. I wanted to surprise you."

"Well I'm mad now cause you did it on purpose," he complained.

Haley lightly poked him on the forehead and glared at him playfully. "You should be happy that I actually came. But if you're going to continue acting like this, I'm going back to New York."

Nathan's eyes widened. "Are you threatening me?"

She smiled and gently traced her finger around his lips. "I don't think I could leave you again. Not even for a second," she replied.

Relieved, he grabbed a hold of her left hand and noticed that she still had the ring on. Just seeing it on her finger made his heart race like crazy. It was a symbol that showed everyone in the world that she was taken. _That she was his and only his_. Their love definitely didn't fade over the years and the ring showed that.

"Do you still love me?" he asked her as he played with the band on her finger. She glanced at what he was doing and then looked up his eyes.

"I don't know, "she replied. Nathan looked at her daringly. "There was this one male model that really caught my eye during this one photo shoot. My feelings have changed. And I -"

"Haley," he warned.

She laughed at his jealousy and said, "The answer should be pretty obvious."

He noticed her wiggling her left hand at him, the ring shining right in his face, and smiled. He quickly intertwined their hands together and kissed the top of it. "Then we should announce it to the whole world," he stated. She nodded as she watched him pull out his phone to call his mom. "Grandma is going to be so thrilled," he replied.

Before he could dial the number, Haley snatched it from his hand. "Hey!"

She started browsing through his phone book and noticed her number under a certain nickname. "_Swindler_? Why am I set as swindler?" she asked shocked.

Nathan quickly grabbed it and closed his phone. "I'm sure you have something far worse for my name in your phone too."

She shook her head. "No, it's just Nathan."

He glared at her playfully. "Liar," he stated.

She scoffed and hurriedly climbed off his lap. "I'm hurt," she stated dramatically. "How could I marry a man who can't even trust me?"

Nathan lifted his eyebrows when he noticed her leaving his side. "Hey, where do you think you're going?" he questioned chasing after her. "What did you put me as?"

"I'm not telling you," she replied as she made her way towards the door.

"Was it_ Jerk_?"

"Not telling."

"_Mr. Handsy?"_

She shrugged her shoulder as she walked out of the coffee shop. "I don't know. Maybe."

Nathan took a moment to think until he stopped in his tracks. "It's _Dick_, isn't it? You put me as _Dick_!" Haley tried to act serious, but she couldn't hold in the laughter. So she turned around and looked at him in amusement. Then she stepped forward to plant a kiss on his lips. "You're so cute when you're frustrated, _Jerk Face_," she smiled, holding his face in her hands before she turned around to walk ahead of him.

"So it's _Jerk Face_!" he called out, jogging after her.

Haley didn't say anything in response when he finally reached her side. Instead, he wrapped one arm around her shoulders while she had one arm around his waist. And they continued to walk together towards the Regalien Hotel.

* * *

**What did you think? You like? :)**

Thanks to everyone listed below.

**Lou, pam211, keep the darkness, 23bNrAuLcEaYs, christina, naleyforevernalways23, dudette, twilightnaley19, othfan1919, mmjasamjaudia4eva, AshleyM15, tlovesnaley2, TeamPapaya, rosepetal16, BaFflEd'n'BefFudLed, Miguel51, Beautiful-Me89, _KATE!_, KTxx, naley98, mazzy, mirna23, 23OTHFan, Stacey, rosepetal16, goldenbabe, MagicalNaley23, Helen15,Rachel, nlca'sluckygirl, naley2323, Sophiaaaaa, Hadley, Gear's Girl, jenny, alwaysRiverCourt, Smile Please10, dangladesh, daisy31, be-u, currish, Intrigued, RICE20, GottaluvNaley, Angela, KLafferty6, Disuaka znjssiiskz, jeyton4ever, miessa, Fab4Lover**,

and last but not least my love, **Maria**, who was the person who pre-read most of my chapter for me before I decided to post this story. At first, I wasn't quite sure how this story was going to turn out because it was completely AU and something a bit lighter than I usually write. I had about four or five chapters already written and I wanted to see how far I could go with the plot. And once I finally found the courage to post the story, I was awed by the reviews and compliments I received. That's when I knew that I had to continue this story and complete it!

After re-reading everyone's reviews, I realized how much of an impact it has brought to many of you. I made you laugh, smile, squeal, and cry. I wanted to write a story that was able to bring out those exact emotions and that's what I did with **Pretty Little Liar**. That's what I like most about writing stories. I don't write because I want to hear what you think or to count how many reviews I get. I don't care about that. I write because I want to give people something to enjoy, love, remember, and actually relate to. I don't want this story to end because it's been such a joy to write. I've grown to love the characters as well. And I've completed it in like two months! That must be a record right? GAWW. I'm so sad to be ending this story but I am very very happy to have been given this chance to make you all smile because of it. Thank you all again for the beautiful words and support. If it weren't for your analyzing, lengthy reviews, tears, bumps, compliments and motivation, I would've never gotten this far.

Thank you again! I hope to bring you another fantastic story soon. And yes, I will finish Steadfast and Underaged Love! :)

I love you all. I hope this story remains close to your heart as much it is to mine!

**Annie**


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